


Prepare My Ship

by BensLostTookaCat (VillainTheBlank)



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: And is a pain in the ass, Crack Treated Seriously, F/F, F/M, Inconvenient Force Time sessions, It's all the holonet's fault, M/M, Meta, Repost of a deleted fic, The Force Ships It, Thigh Grab(TM), Tumblr Prompt, meme central
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:24:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 29,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22275541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VillainTheBlank/pseuds/BensLostTookaCat
Summary: Rey is doing some HoloNet "image maintenance"--searching for herself online and trying to curate it--and gets more than she bargained for.The seeming anonymity of the HoloNet means that people think they can say whatever they like, however cruel or disgusting, about anyone. While Rey is mostly successful at ignoring the barbs thrown at her, she is shocked to find herself rising to the defense of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, the one man she could almost believe she hates."The Thirst Order" is a site and forum run by one MATT4ORDER that serves up a daily dose of the Last Jedi, whether she likes it or not. MATT also goes over the top to defend her against HoloNet rancors, to Rey's embarrassed delight. She discovers just how big a fan he is, however, when he begins cooking up a crackpot conspiracy theory that Rey, the Last Jedi, and Kylo Ren, the Jedi Killer, are 'together'--and has the photos to prove it.Based on a Tumblr prompt: https://lorsanbitch.tumblr.com/post/172272537455/choriquesopicante-i-am-thesenate
Relationships: Ben Solo & Han Solo, Chewbacca & Rey, Finn & Rey (Star Wars), Finn/Rose Tico, Kaydel Ko Connix/Dopheld Mitaka, Lando Calrissian & Ben Solo, Lando Calrissian & Leia Organa, Leia Organa & Rey, Matt the Radar Technician/Rey (Star Wars), Paige Tico & Rose Tico, Poe Dameron/Armitage Hux, Rey & Rose Tico, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 153
Kudos: 70





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Random_WordBender](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_WordBender/gifts).

> Hey everyone, this is a reposting of a fic that came down when I killed my SaturnineFeline account.

Rey's nightly routine is in full swing. She had sparred with Finn, then had a shower in the 'fresher, and had met the gang for dinner (minus Poe, whose new responsibilities as Leia's second in command apparently don't include 'eating' or 'sleeping'). Now, she is settling in with her datapad for what she's grumblingly come to refer to as her "nightly rounds": Rey checks the hits against her name in the HoloNet, to see what's out there. It had started out as a normal, routine maintenance sort of thing, a "once every few months" kind of idea. Almost immediately, though, it had gotten more...complicated...and as a result, it's turned into a total timesuck. What Poe had pitched to Rey as a "quarterly chore at most" is now a daily grind.

"Poe Dameron, you are such a liar!" Rey sighs, and presses Enter. Her eyebrows shoot up at the notifications.

_414 new hits?! What the kriff is going on?_ Yesterday, it had been 35, and the day before that, 19. Rey groans, and gets up to make herself a cup of cream-disguised-as-kaf. Apparently, it's going to be a long night.

When she first set out to find herself, so to speak, it had been out of a need to distract herself from grief--mainly, from Kylo Ren. Crait, Ben--_no,** Kylo!**_\--'s words battering her spirit in the Throne Room of the _Supremacy_ ("you come from nothing...you're nothing..."); the brutal rape of her mind and sense of self that she had suffered from Snoke; Finn's incapacitation and near death; Han's terrible murder...it had all been too much.

One afternoon, in the mess hall, she had heard someone mentioning being assigned by Poe to do some kind of HoloNet watch for the Resistance. It was basically image control, they had complained. When Rey had asked Finn about it that night, he had gotten that quiet, thoughtful look that he wore when he was "putting his Stormtrooper helmet on", thinking like the enemy in order to anticipate how the First Order would behave. He had pulled Rey and Poe aside.

"Have you ever used the Holonet before?" Finn had asked Rey. Rey didn't take offense at the question; not only was it valid, given her childhood, but Finn was pretty sure that most of his own childhood was nowhere near normal. (She still got a giggle every time she thought about the fact that Finn's first birthday party was set for next week; that giggle turned to a sigh when she remembered she hadn't yet chosen a birthday for herself.)

She had shaken her head. "Other than watching the occasional Coruscanti holodrama, no. Why?"

Poe had caught the drift of where Finn was going almost immediately, and switched on his 'animated and intense' setting.

"Rey, pretty soon everyone's going to know who you are. There are plenty of people out there who would pretend to be you in order to harm you, damage your reputation, get to the Resistance, or just swindle loads of innocent people out of their money."

Rey was completely taken aback at the idea. "Why would anyone pretend to be a nobody from Jakku? How would that hurt the Resistance? Why the kriff would anyone give anyone else money over the HoloNet?" Poe had stared for a moment, trying to figure out where to begin explaining things to an evidently very naive Rey.

"BB-8?" Poe called. The spherical droid rolled up, chirping inquisitively.

//_How can I help?_//

"Search the Holonet for 'Rey' and 'Jakku'." 

//_Searching...no results found._//

Finn breathed a sigh of relief, and Poe nodded once, sharply. "Now, search for 'Luke Skywalker'."

//_Over 19.3 million results found. Subcategories: Force Users; Jedi Order; Sith Order; Darth Vader; terrorist; sexual preference--_//

Rey spluttered, turning crimson. "WHAT?!"

//_\--favorite food; disappearance, approx. 28 BBY...do you need more?_//

"How many of those results are people claiming to be Luke Skywalker?"

//_Approximately 8,592. Setting aside obvious false entries, 2,277._//

Rey had been utterly shocked. "Master Skywalker is d--one with the Force now! How can anyone pretend to be him? Has he ever even been on the HoloNet? I can't imagine!"

"Rey." Poe had looked sad and serious. "People who would pretend to be Luke don't really care. It's why we need you to set yourself up on the HoloNet before people do that to you."

"What are the top 5 Holonet sites, that don't belong to the First Order, for exchanging gossip, news, and personal information?" Finn asked, looking thoughtful again.

//_FriendFinder, ChirpBeep, HoloNetHangouts, CrashPad, and NowUCMe._//

"Let's start there." Finn had suggested.

Rey had been, to put it mildly, utterly lost. Thankfully, Rose had been there to help her; the other woman's technical knowledge and insight had been irreplaceable.

"Okay, well, first, we need to requisition a HoloDark encryptor for your datapad," Rose had begun. "Otherwise, anyone--including the First Order--might be able to track our location based on your datapad use."

"Rose, I speak at least 4 languages fluently and can haggle in about 7 more, and I have no idea what you just said to me!" Rey was grumpy and frustrated by this entire idea.

Ignoring the sulky Jedi, Rose had fished a datapad out of one of the communication stations, then commed Connix.

"Kaydel, how long will it take us to get a HoloDark encryptor for Rey?"

"Hey Rose. We're sending a req run to Naboo the day after tomorrow."

"Understood. Let us know when it comes in, please?"

"Roger that."

Rose terminated the comm and turned back to Rey. "For right now, we'll use this one. The anti-slicing tech here on the Falcon is pretty good, so as long as we're careful, we shouldn't have any issues."

It had taken about an hour to set up. Jedi Rey of Jakku, with all the appropriate little symbols in the front depending on which 'Net site it was for, had become her alias on all of the sites BB-8 had suggested. That was when she had willingly, albeit naively, walked into the gates of Hell.

_414 new hits._ "I can do this," she tells herself. She clicks the first one, from ChirpBeep.

> "@JediReyofJakku Females are too emotional to follow the Jedi Code. Sorry sweetheart, go back to building sandcastles and leave the heavy lifting to the real men. #FakeJedi"

Rey rolls her eyes. It's not the first time someone has said something like that, and to be honest, she doesn't particularly _feel_ like a 'real Jedi'...but whoever this asshole is, he knows even _less_ about being a Jedi than she does! While she's debating whether or how to answer, a series of replies to the chirp catches her eye. They are pictures of various females, dressed in Jedi garb.

> @MATT4ORDER replied:  

> 
> @MATT4ORDER replied:  

> 
> @MATT4ORDER replied:  

> 
> @MATT4ORDER replied:  

> 
> @MATT4ORDER replied:  

> 
> @MATT4ORDER replied: Open your stupid slurring mouth again about Lady Rey, and I'll put my fist through it.

Rey's mouth is hanging open. She's...flattered?...embarrassed?...curious, definitely. Who is this HoloNet Knight in Shining Armor? (And, more embarrassingly, why does he know more about the Jedi order than she does?) She's quick to show her gratitude, feeling like she needs all the allies she can get.

> @JediReyofJakku replied: Thanks for the assist AND the history lesson, @MATT4ORDER! Some people can make the 'Net feel more desolate than the Sinking Fields. Glad to know I'm not alone! May the Force be with you.

Rey is uploading a new holovid of porglets to her NowUCMe account ("PORGLETS! I hope you weren't expecting me to be Serious Jedi Rey all the time... :-/ ") when her ChirpBeep notifications ding.

> @MATT4ORDER replied: You're not alone.

Rey feels every hair on her body standing on end, and she can't get her lungs to breathe. _Who ARE you?_ It has to be a coincidence. It **has** to be. Kylo Ren _hates_ her, and, were it not for the fact that Jedi are forbidden from hate, she can ALMOST admit that the feeling is mutual. She stares at the chirp for a good 5 minutes, weighing the pros and cons of her reply, considers debating switching the pad off completely and just going to bed RIGHT NOW, and finally posts a reply.

* * *

Aboard _The Finalizer_, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren is nearly halfway into his morning shave when his datapad's ChirpBeep app whistles. He tells himself he's going to finish his shave before doing anything else, but the message apparently doesn't reach his feet, which are all but running to his desk. His razor clatters onto the floor.

> @JediReyofJakku replied: Neither are you.

Kylo's fingers fly over the keys, this banter the most exquisite torture because this isn't _her_, _couldn't be_ her...but he can pretend. It can divert him for a little while and maybe stopper up the hole he feels in his chest, the one where all the Light and hope leak out. A reply, two invitations, and it's all he can bear. He kills the program, goes back to the ensuite, and fishes out a new razor to finish his shave.

  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo Ren is the very distractable leader of the First Order. Dopheld Mitaka is the very anxious maker of excellent flatcakes with muja fruit compote. Rey gets DMed for nudes.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's hard to have good fluff without angst. Sorry y'all!  
CW: negative self-talk, sexism/misogyny, mentions of torture (Throne Room)
> 
> So what did you all think of the memes?

Kylo Ren is having a very distracted day, and he isn't even dressed yet. First of all, he wakes up to a notification on his ChirpBeep account that @JediReyofJakku had replied to his messages from the previous evening. This sends him vaulting out of bed to pace the room before he can even read it. Was she angry? Flattered? Did she see through MATT4ORDER and know it was him? When he finally reads it, he smiles to himself. Of _course_ she had taken the high road, ignoring the attacker and praising her defender...but...that line about being alone burrows into his consciousness and he can't let it go. Could this really be her?! He has to know.

> @MATT4ORDER replied: You're not alone.

She doesn't respond immediately, so he tries to occupy himself with getting ready for his day. The Supreme Leader has been hounded by requests for meetings, mostly from First Order lifers who believe that the new leader might be more amenable to whatever their pet projects were than Snoke had been. He will take his datapad with him today, and will probably check it every few seconds for a notification from ChirpBeep or HoloNetHangouts.

He doesn't even have the self-discipline to finish shaving before he allows the ChirpBeep notification to drag him away. He feels pathetic at allowing a notification to derail him, and tries to resist it, telling himself that he will finish his shave before attending to the message. After all, the person on the other end of @JediReyofJakku is almost certainly **not** Rey ... but in all honestly, that is probably preferrable to it actually **being** Rey. The presence of Fake-HoloNet-Rey allows him just enough distance to pretend, and to say and do all of the things with Virtual Rey that he wishes he had been brave enough, or smart enough, to have said to and done with the REAL Rey. Kylo wishes he had understood any of this _before_, rather than _after_, everything had gone to hell. The fact that he understands it at all, though, is a miracle of the First Order--literally.

Kylo had learned at some point, thanks to his occasionally necessary interrogations of crew members on _The Finalizer_, that Lieutenant Dopheld Mitaka did two things extraordinarily well: cook and listen. Cooking was something of a stress reliever for Mitaka, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise that the man was an excellent cook--Mitaka was the living definition of anxiety, **especially** when it came to Kylo Ren, so Kylo's residence on board had given Dopheld ample opportunity for practice.

Mitaka had been understandably nervous when the Supreme Leader had commed him three days ago and asked if he was busy; Kylo wasn't known for his love of trivial chit-chat. Of course, Kylo also wasn't known for _asking_ whether anyone was busy (or for much of anything else, for that matter). These things put together had nearly caused the lieutenant to have a nervous breakdown, and so by the time Kylo had walked from his quarters to Mitaka's, Dopheld had his apron on and was dusted with flour. Kylo had, by the end of their conversation (that is, by the end of Kylo's monologue, which had been punctuated with Dopheld's occasional verbal nods and the sounds of cooking), finally admitted some unpleasant truths to himself: 

1) Kylo was, in fact, hopelessly in love with Rey.  
2) Kylo had, in fact, hopelessly karked up everything with Rey.

Sitting in the kitchenette in Mitaka's quarters, pushing some really first-rate flatcakes with muja fruit compote around his plate miserably, Kylo learned that there is a third thing Mitaka does surprisingly well: the man gives sensitive and heartfelt, though unerringly practical, advice. Dopheld had suggested that Kylo allow this HoloNet..._thing_...to salve his heart until he was over her, and that Kylo, using an alias, might do for Rey's doppelganger what Kylo wished he had been brave enough to do for Rey herself. That is, let her know that she was safe, cared for, and had people willing to burn worlds to make sure that she was happy. Well, Kylo would have to settle for flaming online rancors, but Mitaka, after gently clearing his throat, had opined that the real Rey probably wouldn't have appreciated the destruction that burning worlds entailed anyway.

The conversation over, Kylo had considered wiping the Lieutenant's memory of it, but had ultimately decided that he might like having someone he could talk to about it without having to explain everything each time he wanted to talk.

"Lieutenant?"

"Supreme Leader?"

"Would you prefer not to remember this?" 

Mitaka shuddered. "I prefer my memories where they are, Supreme Leader."

"I'd prefer it if they stayed strictly in your head as well, Lieutenant." 

"Of course, Supreme Leader."

Kylo had a HoloNet alias that he'd created a while back, in a poorly-thought-out (and probably poorly-executed) attempt to go undercover after the destruction of Starkiller Base. Back then, he had told Hux that it had been about finding the traitor that had lowered the shields and let the Resistance in. In reality, Kylo had been unmoored after killing his father and being rejected and humiliated by Rey, and had needed some time and space to figure out what the hell he was doing. Thus, one bleach-blonde wig, one pair of BCGs, and one HoloNet alias (MATT4ORDER) later, Matt the Radar Technician had been born...and had disappeared shortly afterwards. He didn't need the getup anymore (and he had burned that infernally itchy wig anyway, with more satisfaction than had been strictly necessary), but he still had the alias. So, he became Matt once again, at least on the HoloNet.

Then, because nothing could ever be straightforward or simple where Rey was concerned, Kylo had nearly burst a blood vessel when he read the kinds of utter filth that the rancors of the HoloNet had the unforgivable **AUDACITY** to say about her. Sneers about her Jakkuvian upbringing. Jokes that it couldn't really be her on the HoloNet because someone from that junkyard probably wasn't even literate. Lamentations about the Jedi falling so low as to recruit _scavengers_. The real punch in the gut, though, had been the number of absolute scum who screeched far and wide that women weren't and could never be "real" Force users. <s>Kylo</s> MATT4ORDER went to war for <s>Rey</s> JediReyofJakku. Now, shirtless and with a face half-covered in shaving cream, he would find out whether the battle had been won or lost. Finally, Kylo opened her reply, and dropped his razor in astonishment.

> @JediReyofJakku replied: Neither are you.

His mind whirls. He can't believe it's her...is it possible? No, he'll write it off as coincidence, but pretend that it is her, that the Maker, or the Force, Fate, Destiny, or whatever it is could be so generous, to give him yet another chance to get right what he'd karked up so badly.

> @MATT4ORDER replied: That would be a pleasant surprise. Stick around, I'm cooking up something special. Friends?
> 
> ChirpBeep: MATT4ORDER wants to be your friend! Yes / Ignore
> 
> NowUCMe: Matt the Radar Technician (MATT4ORDER) is following you! Follow them? Yes / No

Overcome with nervous energy, Kylo dresses for his morning training, scoops up his datapad, and heads to his personal training room. He is in the middle of fighting a training droid when the silence of the Force bond suddenly overtakes him, causing him to stumble out of his Djem So. With a flick of his hand, he halts the training simulation, observing Rey as she's lying in the middle of the training room. She must be asleep; is it her night cycle? Just seeing her fills him with a sort of bittersweet misery; she is so near, and looks so peaceful, but he doesn't dare touch her, or even approach. Oh, he _wants_ to, though. He longs for the intimacy they'd shared so recently. Maybe, just maybe, if this mad HoloNet scheme works, he might get another chance.

Rey groans, and he freezes, barely daring to breathe while she shifts in what is presumably her bed. Then, he gets a punch in the gut, filled with self-loathing, and she is dreaming now. He sees the Throne Room, Snoke resting in pieces. He sees her in all her power and glory, and he needs her by his side, more than he's ever needed anything...but _his_ feelings are missing from the dream. Mentally, she's ragged and bleeding; he allows himself to truly _feel_ how Snoke had torn her mind apart. Then, he hears his words to her through her ears, and he wants nothing more than for the floor to swallow him. Had he really been so terrible, so cruel?

'No!' he tries to call out to her, to tell her, to explain, to show her what he had truly meant in that moment.

"No," his voice comes out a ragged whisper, and he is flooded with his own shame and misery at having so deeply and terribly hurt the woman he claims to love. She doesn't want to see him, doesn't want to be here at all, and if she were in control, she wouldn't be.

How could he be so foolish as to believe he would ever deserve her love in return? Disheartened and utterly ashamed of himself, he finds his fight has drained away, leaving him bitter and tired.

* * *

Rey is plowing through the rest of her notifications with speed. She ignores several dozen friend requests from people she doesn't know. She scowls as she deletes the few private messages asking for visuals of her "meditating" in the shower/bathtub/bed, etc. _(GROSS!_, she shudders at the thought). Her heart sinks as she reads messages of people reaching out to her for help, as if she's their only hope. How can she possibly _reply_ to all of them, let alone actually _help_ any of them?? This whole HoloNet thing was a terrible idea, and **all Poe Dameron's fault**. Well, maybe it was Finn's fault a little, too, but she could blame it all on Poe, and that would be easier than blaming her best friend. Stupid, she is so stupid and useless!

_Breathe, Rey,_ she thinks. _Breathe, and put down the datapad. Allow the Force to guide you._

She takes one deep breath, in and out, and then another. She feels Chewie, fussing over the porglets and trying to stop them falling into the smuggling cabins. She feels the porgs, hopping around, and the tiny jolt one of them gets from chewing on an exposed cable. Her awareness begins to encompass the entire Falcon, then beyond, and--

Everything goes silent as the bond snaps into place. Panic surging through her, Rey turns off the datapad and shoves it under her pillow, then turns over. Maybe if she pretends to be asleep, he won't be interested. A wave of misery washes over her. _What did I do to be so cursed?_ Self-pity gnaws at her insides, only to be overwhelmed with longing and hope.

Wait.

_Longing and hope?!_ Rey groans, frustrated, turning from one side to the other. _He never cared for you! Stupid, stupid girl! You're nothing, remember?_ She forces herself to replay the memory: Kylo, her, in the Throne Room, the world on fire all around them. His words, flaying her to the bone, forcing her to confront memories and feelings that she couldn't handle; she had just been tortured, her mind torn apart, and her whole world was topsy-turvy, but expecting Kylo Ren to have pity or compassion was, she was learning, a fool's game. He had only ever cared about his own ambitions.

"No," he says quietly, his voice strained. Clearly, he didn't want to see her either. She is flooded with shame, and wishes for nothing more than the oblivion of sleep. After a few more torturously long moments, she is emptied and filled as the bond snaps and she slips into a sleep that is, for once, blessedly dreamless.

  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> <s>Kylo</s> MATT4ORDER founds _The Thirst Order_. Things almost immediately get out of hand. Rey is embarrassed.

In the late afternoon following that disastrous Force bond in the training room, the Supreme Leader surprises the Chief Communications Officer with a Priority Alpha private summons to his main audience chamber. Kylo is still bitter, aggrieved, and tired, but he is a man on a mission and is not going to let something as trivial as exhaustion get between him and what he wants. Dispensing with any pretense at pleasantries, Kylo Force-grips Commander Yersh and rifles through his mind. In particular, he wants to know what, if anything, became of the recordings from the _Supremacy_. He sees Hux in the Comm center, demanding all security footage from the _Supremacy_, the _Finalizer_, and the _Silencer_ from the past two months be analyzed for traces of Snoke's assassin and delivered to him. That order was in turn passed down to a junior officer, who was in turn to recruit as many midshipmen as needed. Kylo sees Hux at the Comm center again some days later, livid and demanding to know why his order had not been carried out. Yersh tells Hux that restoring the data from the _Supremacy_ was proving difficult, as it had been badly damaged--or possibly tampered with. Kylo raises an eyebrow, although he is not surprised that there are Resistance spies aboard the _Finalizer._ (If he's truthful, he would have been more than a little disappointed in General Organa had there not been spies. Is Yersh a spy? Kylo skewers another part of the man's mind, and Yersh whimpers, but there is no evidence that he is anything other than an overworked officer.) 

The Supreme Leader then implants the suggestion that Yersh will return to the Comm center, transfer all of the data in question to a chip, to be delivered the Supreme Leader within 1 hour, erase all other copies, and mark Hux's orders as completed. He then wipes Yersh's memory of the moments since his arrival, and releases his Force grip. Thinking of Rey, and how she would utterly and completely disapprove of everything that just took place, the Supreme Leader sighs inwardly. Rather than send the man away, he summons all of the patience he can find and addresses Yersh as if he's just arrived.

"Yes, Commander?"

"Supreme Leader. I received a Priority Alpha summons. How may I serve you?"

"Ah. That. Commander, I'm given to understand that General Hux believes there may be a spy under your command."

Yersh pales. "I--I--well, yes--no! I hope not, that is--I haven't found evidence of--of any...spies...Supreme Leader..." He shuffles his weight, looking like a man who knows he is about to die.

Kylo cups his chin in one hand and tilts his head, wishing to appear perceptive and cunning. He taps a finger on his lips.

"I believe you are overdue for shore leave, Commander. Carry out your remaining orders and delegate your responsibilities to your Lt. Commander. Your leave will commence at 0730. Return in 21 days."

"My Lord?" Yersh looks like he's hit his head. Kylo arches an eyebrow.

"Yes My Lord!" the Commander squeaks, snapping off a salute.

"Dismissed, Commander."

Yersh all but runs out of the audience chamber. Kylo stalks off to his chambers, datapad in hand, and locks the door. The funny (_tragically_ funny, in Kylo's opinion) thing about Skywalkers is that with great power comes great stubbornness and terrible judgment about life partners. 

_Or maybe that's a Naberrie thing,_ Kylo muses. _Or worse, perhaps it's both._

Yersh shows up, exactly one hour later, to deliver the chip. Kylo wipes his memory of having done it, wishes the startled Commander who has no idea how he ended up at the Supreme Leader's private chamber door bon voyage, and locks himself inside. He comms the bridge that he has retired to his chambers and is not to be disturbed for the rest of the evening. Thus, after two hours, more than a little swearing, and occasional riotous guffawing over some of the truly RIDICULOUS things his lovesick brain can come up with, the website and chat group _The Thirst Order_ is born.

* * *

Rey wakes up late the next morning, her dreamless sleep refreshing, and she decides she's going to forget about what happened last night. It's all too confusing and embarrassing. It's sad, really, perhaps even tragic, how much she wishes with all her trecherous heart that Kylo Ren would become Ben Solo again, even a little. Loving him might not hurt so much then. But he isn't, he's not, she does, and it hurts. Maybe burying herself in the HoloNet is really what the doctor ordered, after all. She wonders what MATT4ORDER is like. He was really kind and stood up for her when there was no reason to, so he can't be all bad, she thinks. Slipping her holopad into an inside pocket of her poncho, she brushes and pulls back her hair and wonders toward the mess, hoping there's some breakfast--or anything edible, really. 

By the time she makes it to the mess, the only thing she can get is not-quite-old-yet kaf, which she doctors up with extra sweetener and cream. Then, she makes her way over to the base's repair bay, feeling a deep need to get her hands in the guts of a ship, or a droid, or anything else mechanical. 

_Work cures everything,_ the old women at Niima used to say. _Let the hands work while the heart mends. Let the hands work while the head spins._

"Morning, Rey!" Rose slides out from under an A-Wing, and waves. Rey salutes with her mug and wanders over to the workstation. 

"Sleep well?" Rose asks. Rey's stomach makes a loud protest of emptiness, and she cringes. Fortunately for her, Rose has taken pity on her, and smiles.

"There's an extra muja muffin on the bench. Take it."

"You are a goddess among women, Rose! I'll come help as soon as I'm done."

Rey sits down to eat and takes out her datapad.

"Oh my stars!" Rey groans.

Rose grins. "The muffins weren't THAT good, girlie."

"No, Rose! I have over 600 new mentions! _Six! HUNDRED!_ Added to the ones I didn't get to last night...that's almost 900! I'm gonna kick Poe's ASS!" Rey is shocked and overwhelmed. To say she had no idea she'd be this popular is a major understatement.

"Whaaaat? Let me see!" Rose grabs the datapad, her eyebrows climbing up her forehead.

> @MATT4ORDER replied: That would be a pleasant surprise. Stick around, I'm cooking up something special. Friends?
> 
> ChirpBeep: MATT4ORDER wants to be your friend! Yes / Ignore
> 
> NowUCMe: Matt the Radar Technician (MATT4ORDER) is following you! Follow them? Yes / No
> 
> ChirpBeep: 192 people have recycled chirps that include you!
> 
> ChirpBeep: 257 people have high-fived chirps that include you!
> 
> ChirpBeep: 89 people want to be your friend!
> 
> HoloNet Hangouts: +MATT4ORDER has invited you to join his group _The Thirst Order._
> 
> HoloNet Hangouts: Your alias has been mentioned in 4 _The Thirst Order._ posts. View on HoloNetHangouts?

Rose side-eyes Rey's datapad. "Who is 'MATT'? He's coming on a little strong, don't you think?" Her eyes go wide, and her eyebrows disappear into her hairline. "'_**The Thirst Order**_'!?! Oh. MAKER!!" Rose laughs until she's gasping, tears in her eyes. "We've gotta open these!"

Rey is horrified. "No! Oh Maker, Rose, I'm going to die right here!"

Still chortling, Rose taps the notification.

> Welcome to _The Thirst Order!_ Our mission is to lay the galaxy at the feet of +JediReyofJakku--we know you'll feel it too, once you see how awesome she is!  

> 
> +JediReyofJakku, the sweetest drink of water for _The Thirst Order!_  

> 
> Don't quote us, but that looks like the Coruscanti skyline...your secret's safe with us, +JediReyofJakku!  

> 
> +PS: You look great in black, +JediReyofJakku...  
  


"Uh...wow...I think these people might be obsessed..." Rose is a curious mixture between amused and kind of alarmed. "Why don't you send me a request, and then we'll be friends and I can keep a tab on these thirsty boys?" Rose rolls her eyes, but is smiling at Rey. Rey nods, a furious scarlet on her cheeks. Rose taps a few buttons, and there's a cheep on another datapad.

"There. We gotta look out for each other, girl! Now come on and help me fix the sublight engine on this A-wing!"

* * *

Kylo had gone to bed earlier than usual, and only because his datapad needed to recharge. When he woke up, it was 0400. At least Matt would have time to post a new picture before Kylo had to go to morning training. He turned on the datapad.

_/Chirp!/_

> +JediReyofJakku is now a member of _The Thirst Order_

Kylo smiles, happy even if it isn't really her.

_/Chirp!/_

> +JediReyofJakku has invited +RoseyPosey to group _The Thirst Order_

_/Chirp!/_

> +RoseyPosey is now a member of _The Thirst Order_

_/Chirp!/_

> +RoseyPosey has invited +General_Hugs_and_Kisses, +Phantasmik, and +Kakoco to group _The Thirst Order_

_**WHAT.**_ Kylo begins to realize he might not have fully thought this through.

_/Chirp!/_

> +General_Hugs_and_Kisses is now a member of _The Thirst Order_
> 
> +Phantasmik is now a member of _The Thirst Order_
> 
> +Kakoco is now a member of _The Thirst Order_

_This might have gotten a little out of hand,_ Kylo thinks, floundering. He has a feeling there are going to be more flatcakes in his near future. They really were good flatcakes, though.

  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _It's just compassion!,_ she thinks, trying to calm down her twisting stomach and quiet the roaring in her ears. _Understanding leads to compassion. Detached Jedi compassion, that's what's making me feel this way._
> 
> The fact that she doesn't see the contradiction in that statement ought to be her first clue. Rey is in far, far too deep. In retrospect, there were so many things that she shouldn't have done. She _had_ done them, though, and now...she's in trouble.

Lunch comes not a moment too soon for Rey; good though the muffin had been, nervousness had divebombed her appetite, and she hadn't been able to finish it. Rey and Rose walk together to the mess, and sit together. Finn isn't here yet, and Poe never is, anymore, so it's just the two of them. They sit together in near silence, each woman busy with her datapad between bites, but the silence is easy and companionable.

After sorting through the notifications (which Rose had showed her how to flick to one side and they went away for good and thank the Maker because she was going to have an honest-to-goodness nervous breakdown if that number went over 4 digits), Rey taps on a little fire icon, curious.

**HOT ON THE HOLONET! YOU SAW IT HERE FIRST!**

**1) NEW STARKILLER UNDER CONSTRUCTION?? [PHOTOS]**

**2) FASHION WEEK UNDERWAY ON CORUSCANT [PHOTOS]**

**3) SUPREME LEADER KYLO REN - BAD BOY? OR THE WORST BOY? [PHOTOS]**

**4) 10 TIPS FOR NEW MOMS - HOW TO HAVE IT ALL [PHOTOS]**

**5) PRINCESS, SENATOR, REBEL, GENERAL: LEIA ORGANA SET TO PUBLISH MEMOIRS NEXT YEAR. WHAT MIGHT BE INCLUDED? SPECIAL ROUNDTABLE WITH "RESISTANCE WATCH"!**

Rey's eyes bulge, and she blinks several times, trying to take it all in. Obviously, if it's this readily accessible, someone in the Resistance already knows about it, so taking any of this to Finn or Poe or Leia would just make her look foolish. 

"Rose?" Rey begins. Her friend looks at her, then her expression, then the datapad.

"No worries, ReyRey," Rose says, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Those are meant to be just interesting enough to get you to tap, but they're usually worthless."

"Oh." Rey pauses. "So, is Leia actually writing a book?"

Rose shrugs. "Probably."

"Hmm." Rey stalls, afraid to tap on the one her traitorous heart is leaping toward. "So...it's just gossip?"

"Usually." Rose doesn't look up from her pad.

Rey taps, and settles in to find out just how bad a boy the Supreme Leader is. The next 5 minutes are extremely confusing, and more than a little upsetting.

_"Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader of the First Order, has a reputation as an irredeemably evil killer with a psychotic temper, and the record that is widely available would seem to support this."_

The article shows a picture of Ren, masked, and with his lightsaber in his right hand, left hand outstretched and fingers splayed in what she recognizes as his battle stance for Force-channeling.

_"Destroyer of Tuanul, Jedi-Killer, wielder of a dangerous and unstable weapon, Supreme Leader Ren nevertheless has some intriguing secrets that don't quite square with 'Mad Galactic Overlord'. According to information obtained from the Supreme Leader's personal chambers," _

A large and somewhat grainy photograph of a mostly black room, its walls and floors glossed to a dark shine. A closer picture of a desk, with a big red circle around a group of upright and horizontal cylinders. An **absurdly** grainy close-up that Rey can't make heads or tails of.

_"...it would appear that the Supreme Leader has a poetic side as well--possessing a calligraphy set that is placed prominently on his desk! Though it has not been confirmed by the Supreme Leader or the First Order, our photoforensic team is able to state with confidence that this is very likely a calligraphy set, leading us to wonder: who might be on the receiving end of the art that flows from this tortured soul? Sound off--would YOU want to receive a note from the Supreme Leader?"_

Rey recalls a young Ben, waking up to Luke's betrayal. In his small hut, on his table, he had a similar set of cylinders, filled with brushes, vellum, and an inkwell. Of course, there is no way that whoever wrote this would know that...right?

> Anonymous wrote: The only calligraphy I want when it comes to the "Supreme Leader" is a pretty signature on his death warrant! Death to Kylo Ren! Down with the First Order!
> 
> Prime Hosnian wrote: What the karking hell kind of fluffy GARBAGE is this?! Did the writers decide that the genocide of AN ENTIRE PLANETARY SYSTEM was just no big deal?! There will be no peace until there is justice for the Hosnian system, and to ignore that is to be complicit! The entire First Order deserves to die for what they've done!

Rey cringes. Of course, there must be so many people, the galaxy over, who would love nothing more than to see Kylo dead. Not so long ago, she had been one of them. That had been before...before a lot of things. She understood now that much of his present course had been the result of so many things going horrendously wrong, deliberate and accidental betrayals that had chipped away at his faith in others and had battered his sense of self. Not that he never had a choice...but Rey knows better than most how cruel life can be--how sometimes, there are no good options. She can only imagine how much truer that might be for Kylo Ren than for anyone. She purses her lips, determined to ignore the comments--after all, even if Kylo Ren _does_ read HoloNet garbage, it's not really her problem, is it?--but something is nudging her fingers. The Force, the Light specifically, seems to feel that this is a fight worth having.

> Jedi Rey of Jakku replied: Your pain comes through in your words, and I can feel your anger, as surely as if you were here, screaming in my face. It's a natural response to the kind of suffering that war brings. Please, I ask you to consider something: do you truly believe that the end of Kylo Ren, or even the end of the First Order, will bring back a single Hosnian? Will it end war? Not _this_ war, specifically, but war across the galaxy? If we truly want to defeat the First Order, we will have to defeat the conditions that make the rise of military dictators inevitable--conditions that gave rise to the First Order, and the Empire before it. That will only be possible through selflessness, compassion, and understanding. As Master Yoda once said, "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. Suffering leads to the Dark Side." Please, do not allow the Darkness to grow stronger, since that will lead only to more war and loss and grief and suffering. May the Force be with you.

Rey re-reads her words, wanting to make sure that she has said only what she meant to say. Defending Kylo Ren still feels...odd. Maybe even wrong, but... 

That train of thought absolutely derails at the next few comments.

> Nubila wrote: Calligraphy isn't what interests me when his hands are that size! He can show me just how bad a boy he is any time.
> 
> Babe of the First Order wrote: Any woman who would turn Kylo Ren down is beyond stupid. Being the Supreme Leader's woman would be an honor and let's face it, with a man that huge the sex is going to be incredible! Kylo, comm me, okay? ;)
> 
> Anonymous wrote: Anyone who can't see how the Supreme Leader and calligraphy go together is a fool--it's all about passion! Kylo Ren is clearly a passionate man, and the thought of what he might do with those passions...he wouldn't have time to destroy anything except the bed if he were my lover!

"ReyRey?" Rose's voice is concerned, tinged with alarm. "Can you...put the plates down please?"

Rey's attention snaps back to the lunchroom, and several plates abruptly plummet back to the table with a loud clatter. She takes a loud, shaky breath.

"Rey, what happened? Are you sick?"

"I...I need to go meditate."

"Want me to walk you back?"

Rey shakes her head and flees the lunchroom for the safety of her quarters.

_It's just compassion!,_ she thinks, trying to calm down her twisting stomach and quiet the roaring in her ears. _Understanding leads to compassion. Detached Jedi compassion, that's what's making me feel this way._

The fact that she doesn't see the contradiction in that statement ought to be her first clue. Rey is in far, far too deep. In retrospect, there were so many things that she shouldn't have done. She _had_ done them, though, and now...she's in trouble. Thinking back to her time on Ahch-To, and what she had read in the Jedi texts since then, Luke seemed to think of meditation as a cure-all. Rey could only hope he was right.

_"Close your eyes. Breathe... Now, reach out."_ Hearing Luke's voice in her mind was bittersweet, but Rey lets it guide her. She feels her awareness expand, taking in the base. Several minutes go by as Rey feels the Force. It's almost a see-saw, tipping this way and that, always seeking equilibrium. Soon, the feeling settles to a stillness, and with a mind devoid of thoughts, she lets her consciousness be swept up in the Force. When the Force deposits her on _The Finalizer_, Rey can't find it in her to be surprised. Of course the Force would take her to wherever Kylo Ren was. Somehow, the entire damn galaxy seems to revolve around this man. She _is_ surprised, though, to look around and find that she is in a bedchamber.

Cautiously, Rey looks around, then spies a horizontal figure. She pads closer. Not just _a_ bedchamber. _His_ bedchamber. _With him in it._ In the dim recessed lighting, she can see that his eyes are closed, but she doesn't risk stretching out her awareness to probe whether he is truly asleep. 

A puff. A twitch. His sleeping face contorts into something between agony and awe.

"Rey..." His voice is a husky bass whisper, and it threatens to short-circuit her brain. That electricity is amplified when he rolls toward her, still asleep.

"Rey, please...don't...leave me..."

Rey's attention is so focused on his lips and on the words that had just tumbled out of them that she doesn't notice his hand surging forward in a jerky, dream-induced motion until it connects. The fingers greedily wrap around her outer thigh. Rey gasps in surprise, and Ren's eyes snap open, just in time to watch her disappear.

* * *

Kylo blinks, and takes a ragged breath. His hand is on fire, a conflagration of _how_ and _yes_ and _more_ and _her her her_ and _real._

She had been here. She had been here, and ... hadn't tried to kill him. 

_She was next to your bed,_ his libido purrs, _in your hand_, and his all-too-eager body responds with shameless enthusiasm. 

Kylo closes his eyes, unable to will his body to _calm the kriff down!_ even for the sake of savoring the lingering wisps of of her presence; restraining his emotions has gone sorely against his grain for his entire life, and they run roughshod over him now, leaving him panting and wanting and absolutely useless. 

0230, and Kylo is staggering toward the 'fresher, the sensation of desire almost painful. 

0245, and Kylo's breathing has evened out again, he's drying off and getting dressed and thinking about how to <s>avenge himself on Rey</s> take this thing to the next level. Lying back down on his bed, he crosses his ankles and grabs his datapad. He opens the page for The Thirst Order to see what's been posted while he slept.

> +General_Hugs_and_Kisses posted: The <s>best</s> sexiest pilot in the resistance dances for the Last Jedi...<s>wish it were for me</s> revolting.  


Kylo rolls his eyes. He didn't start this page to see pictures of Poe Dameron. He considers deleting it, but then he sees Virtual Rey's reply.

> +JediReyofJakku replied:  


Kylo is surprised to admit that his first thought isn't _One day, I swear I am going to hijack that garbage and sink it to the bottom of Mon Cala!_, but rather is _She looks so happy...blowing up my ships_. He even smiles, in spite of himself.

> +Kakoco replied: Don't feel left out, General Ginger! Here he is on his way to <s>blow up your fleet</s> give you a phone call!  

> 
> +General_Hugs_and_Kisses replied: Charming. 
> 
> +RoseyPosey posted: So where's the Supreme Beater? 
> 
> +JediReyofJakku replied: O_O WHAT. 
> 
> +RoseyPosey replied: Well, General Hugs is here, but we all know he's not the Thirstiest.
> 
> +JediReyofJakku replied: NO you can't be serious! 
> 
> +General_Hugs_and_Kisses replied: EXCUSE me. He may THINK he's in charge, but I command legion upon legion of Thirst Order soldiers! 

Kylo's laugh is strangled, and he's not sure whether he's choking with rage or with amusement. Considering what he had just been doing in the 'fresher, he decides that amusement is a more honest choice, and given that, however unknowingly, RoseyPosey opened the door, he might as well take it! Several taps later, he has a new alias.

> +MATT4ORDER has invited +Rylo_Ken to group _The Thirst Order_
> 
> +Rylo_Ken is now a member of _The Thirst Order_
> 
> +Rylo_Ken posted: Speak my name and I appear.
> 
>   
  
  


Kylo chuckles, then starts to flip through pictures of Rey, deciding which to post next. He doesn't even realize that his eyelids are drooping, and by 0400, he is snoring lightly, his datapad resting on his chest.

  



	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morning Kaf with Mitaka. Hux finds out about _The Thirst Order_, and his reaction is predictable. On Rey's side, boundaries are crossed, and things get dark and angsty quickly. Kylo gets more personally involved, because of course he does. Chewie understands his people better than they understand themselves, which surprises exactly no one.
> 
> Summarizing is hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit and sincere gratitude for 'He could be anywhere' sketch to [proporgo](https://proporgo.tumblr.com). THANK YOU!!

"You mean to tell me that you not only KNOW about and TOLERATE this casual slander, but you also ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE?!"

Kylo smirks. Watching General Hux go apoplectic is its own reward, so there's no need to go into the whole 'virtual Rey' thing--especially because Kylo had come to this meeting from Mitaka's kitchenette. He had been able to get some of it off of his chest, so it isn't lurking behind his teeth, ready to leap out of his mouth at an inopportune time. And for another thing, it's honestly hard to get angry about anything on a stomach full of jogan tarts with creme fraiche. The kaf had been really good too.

"Perhaps you ought to join, General. Plenty of opportunity to get an eyeful of Dameron. Maybe you could even call him back. It's been, what, three months? You won't seem overly eager." Kylo's face and voice are cool, his tone blasé, but his lips twitch, fighting an amused grin that threatens to blow his cover.

Hux's jaw drops. He can count on one hand the number of times that he has been left absolutely speechless, and 75% of those times are due to the smug asshole in front of him who calls himself the Supreme Leader. 

_Supreme Beater, indeed_, Hux thinks, careening between dry amusement and fiery rage. Oh yes, Hux has already looked over the site. It came to his attention after VX-855, a younger trooper, new to _The Finalizer_, had been overheard telling others about the site. How she knew, Hux neither knows nor cares. She was reprimanded and sent for reconditioning, but the potential for more disruption in the Stormtrooper brigades had been real enough a threat to merit Hux's attention. At least, that's what Captain Phasma had said. In retrospect, she may have been tooling with him. However that might be, he has seen the site, and he is both angry and mildly intrigued--a dangerous combination.

Hux reels in his shock, but there is still plenty of incredulity in his tone. "Are you **ordering** me to take part in this outrageous mockery?"

Kylo, the bastard, is clearly enjoying this. "I think that's an excellent idea, General. You will submit your alias to me or I will assign you one by 1730."

Hux's voice drops an octave. "Ren, this is ludicrous. You cannot possibly be seri--" Hux's throat constricts ever so slightly.

"Protocol, General." Kylo releases the pressure. "Besides, you clearly need to get laid. Let me know when Dameron's leave is, so I can approve yours." He sweeps out of the room, leaving Hux sputtering behind him.

Hux's urgent meeting request had shrieked across Kylo's comm, derailing his day starting at 0800, so when he makes his sweeping exit, it's only 0815. The remainder of the day doesn't begin until 1300, since Hux's XO had so _graciously_ cleared it as soon as the ginger began having a hissy fit. Ren's schedule is crammed with excruciatingly dull meetings with lackeys and toadies. He really hates them all, if he's honest. Fortunately, Leia Organa's son does in fact possess some of the courtly art of being invisibly bored to death. 

Until then, though, there's not much to do. Out comes the datapad. 

> +MATT4ORDER posted: Rumor has it this was the first meeting between the Supreme Leader and Lady Rey:  

> 
> +Rylo_Ken replied: I feel I reacted reasonably on first seeing the Lady Rey, all things considered:  
  
  
  

> 
> +Rylo_Ken replied: Well, perhaps less than reasonably where the Lieutenant was concerned.

> +JediReyofJakku replied: Not funny, +Rylo_Ken. Neither poor Mitaka nor I deserve that kind of manhandling.
> 
> +Rylo_Ken replied: Perhaps you need a different kind of 'manhandling', sweetheart.
> 
> +JediReyofJakku replied: I'd just as soon kiss a rathtar.
> 
> +Phantasmik replied: I don't think they make bacta for that severe a burn, Supreme Beater. Perhaps it would be best to simply cut it off?
> 
> +Rylo_Ken replied: When I want your opinion, chrome dome, I'll check in the trash compactor.
> 
> +Kakoco replied: +JediReyofJakku must be *so* impressed by your snark, Mister Supreme Beater, sir.  

> 
> _Ouch._ Everything with Han Solo hits a little too close to home. He kills the app and puts down the datapad, suddenly grumpy.
> 
> _/Chirp!/_
> 
> +RoseyPosey posted: Someone left these sketches laying around... I guess "Matt" is +MATT4ORDER?! Sweet dreams and stay thirsty, Matt!  
  
  
  
  


Kylo's mind goes into overdrive. That's...a really good set of sketches. Who made them? "Matt" looks like...well...like **him**. Did someone know? Who? Why else would anyone draw Matt that way? What's happening? As Ren begins to spiral, paranoia and fear creeping up, he remembers what Mitaka had said at breakfast that morning.

_"As with most situations, the advantage and the disadvantage are one and the same. The disadvantage is not knowing who is on the other end of the HoloNet. The advantage is that no one else knows it's you. Even if you've forgotten that whoever is on the other end is rather unlikely to be_her_, isn't the fact that you're inclined to treat her like an object of affection the goal in the first place?"_

Kylo has, indeed, begun treating Jedi Rey of Jakku like..._Rey_, teasing her, laughing at her jokes, defending her against people who would say anything desultory about her, who might hurt her (and anyone who might flatter and compliment her, but that's besides the point, he sniffs).

A chime.

"Supreme Leader?" A yeoman addresses Ren from the door to the main audience chamber. He looks up, but says nothing. 

"It is 1255. Is there anything you would command of me before your first meeting?"

Ren pauses. "Yes. What time is my last audience?"

"1630, My Lord."

"Inform General Hux that I expect him at 1730. He will know what it is in regard to."

The yeoman's heels click. "Yes, My Lord." As the young man walks away, Kylo grins wolfishly. Pulling out his datapad, he taps out a new alias, then kills the app, mutes the datapad, and begins the real grind of his day.

\-----

Rose blinks at the door chime. It's 0030. Why is someone at her door at this hour? She opens the door to a flustered, embarrassed-looking Rey, who is holding out a datapad showing the sketches Rose had posted just minutes before.

"Rose!! You didn't!!" Rey's eyes are as big as saucers, tears brimming, her cheeks on fire, and she really wishes the base would swallow her right now, pajamas and all.

"Aww, got a little crush, ReyRey?" Rose teases. "I'm sure Matt's a nice guy." Her smirk is unbearable. "I'm not so sure why you drew him looking like Kylo Ren in a horrible wig, but I'm not judging you!"

"But why in the Maker's name did you POST it?!" Rey whines, sounding like a petulant child.

"Rey. Who knows you drew that? No one except us. Your secret is safe with me!" Rose laughs, but comes up short when Rey doesn't join in. Then she takes in the seriousness, the embarrassment, the way that Rey won't even meet her gaze. She grabs Rey by the arm (perhaps a little tighter than necessary), dragging Rey into her room.

"Wait. Are you _seriously_ in love with _Kylo-karking-REN?!_"

Rey's head sinks further in shame, and Rose's eyes are twin wildfires. 

"Alright, Rey." Rose's voice is a shard of ice. "I'm going to need you to explain this, in detail, right. karking. NOW."

"Rose..." Rey has never seen cold fury like Rose's face.

_Have I just lost one of my best friends? If Rose feels this way, won't everyone else, too? Why does this have to be so difficult? Why does <s>Ben Solo</s> Kylo Ren have to make everything so kriffing difficult?!_ Frustrated and blinking back tears, Rey growls in aggravation.

"Okay...I'll try. Short version?"

Rose nods. "Start there."

Rey takes a deep breath. "The first time I met Kylo Ren was in the forest on Takodana. Those pictures of him knocking me out and carrying me? That happened. When I woke up, I was strapped to a chair and he was there and he tried to get inside my head to get the map to Master Luke. He was...rifling through my thoughts and feelings, and it felt so WRONG. I didn't know I had the Force then. I just tried to fight back, to push him out of my head, but I pushed so hard I wound up inside _his_ mind...somehow. Being in his head, I...I didn't realize it until very recently, but...I kind of..._downloaded_ a lot of his training. Not in a conscious way, but by the time he threw me out of his head, I'd absorbed bits and pieces of decades of training. That was why I, as someone who had never swung a lightsaber before, was able to beat him on _Starkiller_. He was already weakened and he was forced to fight himself AND me.

"That wasn't the end of it, though. When I got inside his head, something happened between us. Our minds are permanently connected." Rose's look of incredulity mixed with horror has Rey scrambling to clarify.

"Not like...he can't hear what we're saying, at least...not right now. He also can't tell where we are, as far as I know. But sometimes...it connects us. The whole world falls away and its just us. At first, I hated it, because I hated _him_."

"You make it sound like you _don't_ hate him anymore." Rose's voice is dangerously sharp.

"I don't," Rey begins to explain.

Rose abruptly stands. "I've heard enough. You need to leave."

"No, Rose--"

"**NO**, Rey! I'm not going to sit here and pretend to be friends with someone who's in love with my sister's **killer**!"

The rage is dark, quick, and overwhelming, infusing Rey's voice with a deadly edge as energy whips all over the room. "**You took what didn't belong to you, put it out there for the whole GALAXY to see, twisted my arm and shamed me into spilling my guts, and you have the NERVE to karking JUDGE ME for it BEFORE YOU'VE EVEN LET ME FINISH?! Screw you, Rose Tico!**"

The door to Rose's quarters blows open, twisted metal landing on the other end of the hallway, and Rey storms out, the living embodiment of fury. Her scream, a tortured, hungry thing, tears through the base, the lights flickering in its wake, and Rey _runs_, as fast as she can, out of the base and onto the _Falcon_. She begins flipping switches and pressing buttons, running through the pre-launch sequence as quickly as she can, when she hears a roar from the first mate's quarters.

_//What's wrong, Little Star?//_

"I need to get out of here, Chewie, I--" A sob chokes her as the _Falcon_ begins to lift off. "I...just need to get away for a little while. I'm sorry if I woke you. You can go back to sleep."

A pause. _//What course are you setting?//_

The only reply Chewie gets are strangled, muffled sobs and the sound of the _Falcon_ being hailed.

"Rey," Finn's voice is groggy and confused. "What happened? Where are you going? Rey!"

_//Turn off the radio transmitter. I'll be out there in a minute.//_

Rey obeys, silencing Finn's voice. A moment later, Chewie shuffles into the cockpit and plops into the co-pilot's chair.

_//Is there anywhere you need to go, Little Star? Or do you just need to be somewhere else?//_

"Somewhere else, Chewie. We don't even have to go anywhere at all, I just..."

Chewie chuffs, a non-verbal sound of acknowledgement, agreement, and empathy all in one.

"Yeah," Rey replies, a weak smile breaking across her face.

_//Use the 'fresher if you want to clean up. Take a few minutes. I'll set the course and the auto-pilot.//_

Rey nods, and hugs the tall wall of fur that seems to understand her better than she does. "Thanks, Chewie."

A soft huff is his only reply.

\-----

It's 1300, on the nose, and the first supplicant/applicant/groveler/whatever the kriff these people think they are has just bowed to Ren when Kylo hears Rey _**SCREAM**_, and is hit by a crackling pulse of energy so strong and so _dark_ that he nearly drops into his seat.

"Supreme Leader?"

A voice brimming with false concern and beneath, a sense of the speaker having been insulted. Ren throws up his mental walls and does his best to focus, even for a minute, on whatever insignificant quibble this fool is on about. Something about more credits for development of a new blaster. Kylo rubs his forehead, the beginnings of a headache coming on, and holds up his hand, picking up his datapad.

"Why is this being brought to my attention? Weapons development is General Hux's purview. You know this. Or is chain of command no longer a protocol for the First Order? Take it to Hux. You are dismissed."

The shocked officer is escorted out, stammering "B-But, Supreme L--!"

Ren uses the tiniest amount of pressure on the man's throat. "You. Are. Dismissed." He then turns to his yeoman. "Are you responsible for this?"

The man goes pale.

Ren forces his way into the yeoman's mind, implanting a suggestion. "Clear the chamber, and go vet these people **properly**. I will not entertain anyone who wishes to go around established protocol. Everyone will stay out of this chamber until called for."

A monotone repetition is followed by the chamber being cleared in record speed. Kylo uses the Force to bar the door, then sits on his throne. He clears his mind, focuses on breathing, then calls to Rey. Slowly, fading in as if the volume is being turned up on life, Kylo hears the sound of falling water hitting porcelain, and trains his gaze to the floor, clearing his throat.

A sigh. "I'm dressed."

His head snaps up instantly, his eyes searching her body for evidence of harm. "Rey, are you okay? Why are you--where are you going? What happened?!"

He reaches out a hand, hovering a couple of inches away from her skin, and hesitates. "Are you hurt? The way you screamed, I thought something had...that you..."

Rey pales. "You heard that?" A whisper, filled with shame and regret. Then she looks up at him, head cocked. "Wait. Why do _you_ care?"

Kylo's face falls. "You really have to ask?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Later edit: Ok, so I know I promised a Rey kaf spit-take, but the narrative got away from me...sorry! I haven't forgotten, it just...didn't fit here.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feelings are hard. Kaf was harmed in the making of this chapter. Please, think of the kaf.

Rey simply stares at Kylo.

"Yes, I do _'have to ask'_, because you seem to change your mind about it quite a lot. You begged me to join you, then an hour later, you swore to Luke you were going to _kill_ me, and not 15 minutes after that, you're giving me porg eyes! You'll have to _pardon_ me, Your Worshipfulness, if I act like I'm not sure about what the hell goes on in that head of yours--I'm not sure you know either!" She takes a shaky breath.

"So tell me, _Supreme Leader_: Why do you care whether I am hurt or upset? Why. do. you. care?"

Kylo is growling now, frustrated beyond belief, and running his hands through his hair, pulling at the roots. "How can you be so obtuse? You don't even--"

_/Chirp!/_

Kylo stops, turning a shade of pink. He says "I know I turned that off." at the same moment that she says "Oh kriff!" and dives for something he can't see.

"Rey..."

Her eyes remain resolutely glued elsewhere.

"Rey, what's upsetting you?"

She makes no move to answer him, or even acknowledge that he asked her, and the Supreme Leader is at the end of his rope.

"Rey!" he snaps. "Whatever the kriff it is that's under your skin, you're RADIATING Dark energy! It won't take me a day to find you at this rate." Rey's head jerks up, shock and anger in her eyes.

"Don't give me any of Luke's bullshit!" Kylo is angry, and scared for Rey, his beacon of Light in the Dark, and he's just plain TIRED of the whole useless, circular argument, so he cuts it off before it starts. "You have as much potential for darkness as anyone else. I know you've felt it, and the more you deny it, the worse it's going to get."

He feels a pressure building in the back of his head as Rey winks out of existence. She's forcibly closed the connection again.

_Denial will only get you in deeper, Rey. I should know._

> +RoseyPosey posted: I always thought people like +JediReyofJakku were selfless warriors for what's right. Turns out she's not what you think. Don't trust your heros.  

> 
> +RoseyPosey has left _The Thirst Order_
> 
> +JediReyofJakku replied: With friends like these, who needs enemies? None of you have any right to judge me until you've been me. I never asked for any of this. I'm nobody's hero, and I never wanted to be. I came from nothing. I'm nothing at all.

Kylo stares at the datapad, and blinks. Too many coincidences. Too much to process.

_/Chirp!/_

> +JediReyofJakku posted: TFW you realize you might have made a mistake:  

> 
> +JediReyofJakku replied: Thankfully I still have one friend, and he's large enough and cares enough to make up for the rest.

Kylo sucks in a breath. Rey is on the Falcon, with Chewie, and something has happened to make her believe that she no longer has any friends in the Resistance...something that's shaken her enough to make her think twice about Crait. Whatever this is, it's _bad_. However, there might be a golden opportunity, if he has the stones to take it.

Lt. Mitaka has settled down with a book and a cup of kaf when he sees a flashing beacon that indicates a hologram conference with a superior. He sighs, but he is nothing if not a man of duty, even on his off-days.

"Mitaka."

"Supreme Leader?"

"A spanner in the works. Do you have any leftover tarts?"

"Of course, Supreme Leader. Kaf?"

"Always, Lieutenant."

Mitaka shakes his head.

_Kylo Ren has the same troubles as the rest of us. Who knew? _

All the same, though, it won't do to reduce Kylo Ren to a non-threatening persona; Mitaka sincerely believes that would be one of the worst, and likely one of the last, mistakes a person could make. He sets down his book, goes back to the kitchenette, and brews an extra cup of kaf. While that's percolating, he sets out three of the morning's tarts on a plate, and places the plate on the table. Then he resumes his seat on the sofa, picking up his well-read, dog-eared book. After all, it _is_ his day off, and _Galaxy at War: Rebirth of the Cosmic Knighthood_ is one of his favorite novels. It was the last in the series, and while its little flaws and plot holes left something to be desired for the critics, Dopheld is 12 years old again every time he reads it, and he allows the epic saga to sweep him off to a galaxy far, far away--at least until the doorbell rings.

"To what spanner do I owe the pleasure, Supreme Leader?"

Kylo smirks. "Well, it looks like we've inadvertently sown division among the Resistance."

"Interesting!" Mitaka retrieves Ren's kaf, along with cream and sugar, and sits, gesturing Kylo to a chair near the plate of tarts. "What happened?"

"I'm not entirely sure...but the Jedi is on the Falcon, fleeing the Resistance base, and doesn't think she has any friends or supporters there."

"But...how do you know where she is presently?"

"The Force." Kylo shrugs, blase.

"And what does this have to do with your...erm...project, Supreme Leader? After all, whoever it is on the HoloNet, this person likely isn't the Jedi, but rather someone...different?" Mitaka's voice trails off as he notes the wolfish grin on Ren's face. The Supreme Leader pulls out his datapad, and shows the Lieutenant the last post made by +JediReyofJakku.

"There is no way anyone else could have known about that moment when she closed the door on me. It was private--no one else even saw it. I can hardly believe it myself, but it has to be her."

Mitaka stares, blinking, at the image. This could, indeed, be very good--or very, very bad.

"I see. So are you intending to pursue her?"

"I've thought about it."

"And then what? Tractor beam the ship in and propose?"

Kaf sprays everywhere as the Supreme Leader chokes, coughing and spluttering, and Mitaka turns white. He leaps up and runs to the kitchenette, returning with a towel.

"Forgive me, Supreme Leader. Are you alright?"

"That's a bit direct, Lieutenant, even for me."

"That was rather the point, sir."

* * *

"Chewie, you really don't have to sit up with me. I'm fine."

_//I beg to differ.//_

Rey tries to smile, but only sighs, taking the proffered cream-and-sugar-disguised-as-kaf.

"I just hate that they don't want to even try to understand what I feel. I hate that they're going to look on me as some kind of security risk, or worse, as a traitor to the Resistance."

_//If that's what they think, they don't know Leia very well.// _

"She's the only one who understands--besides you, I mean," she hurries to correct herself when Chewie bares his teeth ever so slightly. "She knew, even though we've never really gotten to talk about it...and I feel like she must want the chance to have him back, even after...after Han..." Her voice trails off, the grief still uncomfortably near.

_//The cub has done...truly terrible things. I was angry enough to kill him when I shot him. But all the same, I'm glad I didn't end up killing him--I still care for him too.//_

"I'm afraid, Chewie. I don't know how much of Ben Solo is still there. I went to him once to save him, and he wound up becoming Supreme Leader instead. He didn't want to be saved."

_//All you can do is wait, and let him know that the door is still open. He has to walk through it on his own.//_

Rey nods, and takes a sip of kaf.

_//Of course, if the cub has much of his father in him, a metallic bikini wouldn't hurt your chances.//_

Chewie chuckles and Rey's nose is on **fire** as kaf sprays all over the floor. Her hand flies to her chest, supporting herself while she sputters.

"CHEWIE!!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now with 100% more memes!

> From: Supreme Leader  
To: General Hux
> 
> Subj: Welcome to The Thirst Order!
> 
> Username: hotdamneron
> 
> This username has been locked to your biodata in the First Order records, and will be accessible on any First Order terminal. Happy chirping!
> 
> ~SL KR

Hux's left eye begins to twitch. He looks at the clock. _1728._ Storming out of his office, Hux all but stomps all the way to the throne room. Hux had truly hoped that having all of Ren's meetings pushed back to the second half of the day would mean that he would forget all about this stupid, ridiculous idea. Clearly, Hux has underestimated Ren's efficiency--or overestimated his maturity, more likely. Far more likely, given the fact that Ren has tears on his face when Hux walks in the door. 

"Supreme Leader, what--!" Hux is cut off by a loud gasp, followed by a booming peal of deep, raucous laughter. 

_He's...LAUGHING...so hard that he's CRYING. What in the Nine Hells have I walked into?!_

Ren waves him over, and shoves a datapad under his nose.

> +General_Hugs_and_Kisses posted: How I met the love of my life (1/5)  
**Poe: Yeah...I'm holding for General Hugs? With an 'H'? Skinny guy, kinda pasty?  
Hux: *sobbing* That is literally the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me!**
> 
> +General_Hugs_and_Kisses posted: How I met the love of my life (2/5)  
** Poe: I'm gonna make your life hell.**  
**Hux: Joke's on you, my life is already hell.**  
**Poe: ...**  
**Poe: Are you ok?  
** **Hux: *whispers* No. **
> 
> +General_Hugs_and_Kisses posted: How I met the love of my life (3/5)  
**Hux: Poe Dameron? Do I have a thing for him? No way!**  
**[Silence]  
** **Hux: Why, did he say something?**
> 
> +General_Hugs_and_Kisses posted: How I met the love of my life (4/5)  
**Poe: *kisses Hux's cheek***  
**Hux: What was that?!**  
**Poe: Affection.**  
**Hux: Disgusting!**  
**Hux:**  
**Hux: ...**  
**Hux: Do it again.**
> 
> +General_Hugs_and_Kisses posted: How I met the love of my life (5/5)  
** Hux: You are tolerable, I suppose.  
Poe: *crying* I love you too!**

Hux's face blanches, and he begins to quake with anger, but each time his mouth opens, his voice refuses to work, and he's left gaping like a fish. Kylo's laughter dies down, but he shamelessly smirks at Hux, quirking an eyebrow. 

"I didn't think you were so easily bested, General. Had I known this was all it would take, I would have done it years--"

Hux's rage boils over. "This is LUNACY, Ren! How can you be so careless about allowing the reputation of the First Order to be DEGRADED?!"

Kylo again recalls the morning's conversation with Mitaka, and is silently thankful that he knows how to answer Hux's accusations. _Perhaps Mitaka's overdue for a promotion. He seems wasted as Lieutenant..._

"General Hux, surely you're intelligent enough to know that people pretend to be other people all the time on the HoloNet? Or are you telling me you are actually General Hugs and Kisses and this was a true confession?"

Kylo can see on Hux's face the moment that he simply decides it is no longer worth his time to fight about something that is clearly so beneath him. Kylo can also see the moment when Hux begins to calculate how to use this against him.

"General." Kylo's voice is calm, which is enough to put Hux on edge. "This is a harmless amusement, and I suggest you treat it as such, rather than attempting to find a way to plunge it into my back."

"I assure you the thought never even crossed my mind, Supreme Leader," Hux protests weakly, knowing full well that it had done exactly that at the moment that Ren called him out on it.

"Indeed? Then if I were you I'd sue my face for slander."

The Supreme Leader's face is an expressionless mask as he re-orients his datapad, his fingers flying over the keys. 

_/Chirp!/_ goes Hux's datapad, and Kylo Ren's smile takes on the slightest predatory edge. Hux refuses to give Ren the satisfaction of checking his datapad, waiting until he has left the chamber and the doors have hissed shut behind him.

> +Rylo_Ken replied: Hey **+hotdamneron** is this true?! Asking. For a friend.

Hux's right eye joins his left one in twitching. He is going to make that insufferable bastard pay for this, one way or another...and a wicked smile oozes across Hux's face as he realizes exactly how.

* * *

Rey rolls her eyes as she walks past a couple of the newer engineering recruits. The women had been making what Poe calls "heart eyes" at each other for almost a week, but only when the other isn't looking. She could say something, but it's none of her business, and anyway, she's headed somewhere else. She muffles an irritable sigh, wishing they would just catch each other and get on with it.

_You really wish he would just catch YOU and get on with it!_ Rey can't suppress the half-sigh, half-groan at the thought. Whatever part of her that is, it's not wrong. She turns around, and pads back to the hangar door.

The one who's on her back, struggling to fix a power coupling for one of the control panels, is startled when her tool bucket tips over seemingly out of nowhere, tools scattering in a broad arc. The willowy blonde is even more surprised when another hand brushes over hers, reaching for her fallen hydrospanner. She freezes.

"Oh!" 

"Um, sorry, I just thought...you'd like some help?" The other girl pushes her glasses back into place, her purple braids slipping over her shoulder. Both of them are wearing charming shades of pink on their cheeks.

"Yeah, thanks..." The braided girl offers a shy half-smile, then gets up to walk back to her station.

"Hey, wait! Would you...want to get some kaf with me? On your next break?"

Rey smiles to herself as she walks away. She's pretty sure Master Luke would never have approved of using the Force that way...but she has a hard time minding. She always was a sucker for happy endings.

* * *

"General, have you seen this?"

Connix hands Leia a message, sent on a secure channel, using Maz' personal code. 

> P -  
Would you be interested in a two-way mirror? Let me know--some friends came across a rare one that might suit your particular setup nicely.  
-Q

Leia nods, and writes a reply:

Q-  
You can never have too many mirrors! Will pick it up as soon as it's ready.  
-P

"Transmit this reply on a secure channel, and use my personal code."

With the young woman gone, Leia's eyebrow raises as she considers the offer she just received. Who in the First Order was turning informant for the Resistance? More importantly, why?

\-----

_/Chirp!/_

> +Phantasmik posted: I don't know, you all, I think +JediReyofJakku might have a thing for the traitor...have you seen these?  
  
  

> 
> +hotdamneron replied: Watch out, +JediReyofJakku, or I'll steal your boyfriend right out from under your little nose! <s>Best</s> Hottest Pilot in the Resistance!  

> 
> +General_Hugs_and_Kisses replied: Damneron, get those hands back on me or I'll put them in binders!
> 
> +hotdamneron replied: Don't threaten ME with a good time!

Kylo Ren sits, slack-jawed. It seems that his idea is either working beautifully or is backfiring horribly--or somehow doing both at once? On the one hand, seeing those pictures of Rey with--was Rey really this..._touchy-feely_...with the TRAITOR?! On the other hand, Hux is taking to his new role surprisingly well. Maybe a bit too well...Kylo had just been looking for ways to get under Hux's skin by suggesting that he was attracted to Dameron. Perhaps he's hit closer to the truth than he'd realized? Or perhaps Hux has delegated this assignment, somehow? That seems more likely.

> +Rylo_Ken replied: As long as you clowns keep your filthy hands off of +JediReyofJakku, you can add the traitor to your bedroom games and good riddance!

> +Kakoco posted: A conversation between the Supreme Leader and General Hugs, approximately 2 weeks from now:
> 
> **Ren:** I guess...we should attack the Resistance today...
> 
> **Hux:** Yes...I suppose we should...
> 
> **Ren:** Yes. Of course.
> 
> **Hux:**
> 
> **Ren:**
> 
> **Hux:** Or-
> 
> **Ren: **Yes?
> 
> **Hux:** Perhaps it would be more strategic to attack tomorrow...
> 
> **Ren: **A much better idea.
> 
> **_*the next day*_**
> 
> **Ren:** So...today we'll attack the Resistance.
> 
> **Hux:** Yes, Supreme Leader.
> 
> **Ren:**
> 
> **Hux:**
> 
> **Ren: **You know, you look like you're feeling a bit under the weather, General. Perhaps you should rest, make sure you're in peak condition before we attack?
> 
> **Hux:** Oh, well, I... *fake cough* I didn't want to make a big deal about it, Supreme Leader. 
> 
> **Ren:** Nonsense. You're on medical leave until next week.
> 
> **_*the following week*_**
> 
> **Random Storm Trooper:** Wasn't there something we were supposed to do this week?
> 
> **Hux and Ren, simultaneously:** NO.
> 
> **_*later that week*_**
> 
> **Ren:** You know, I was thinking: maybe it would be good for me to go on a covert mission...use the Force to infiltrate the Resistance base...lower the shields.
> 
> **Hux:** *snorts* You're as covert as a battering ram, Ren.
> 
> **Ren: ***under his breath* She could _use_ a good battering ram...
> 
> **Hux: ***sputtering* WHAT?!...I mean, WHAT you need is someone who can...uhm...distract their...pilots...? While you...uh...infiltrate?
> 
> **Ren:**
> 
> **Hux:**
> 
> **Ren: **...whom do you suggest--
> 
> **Hux: **Me!--er...I suppose I _could_ delegate command and accompany you, just to keep you out of trouble. With the Resistance pilots. Out of trouble with the Resistance pilots.

* * *

Dopheld Mitaka puts down his datapad and sighs. How had things come to this? Washing his hands, he ties his apron on, lays out his _mise-en-place_, and takes a deep breath. This is already a three-tiered cake sort of problem, with the potential to become a wedding cake, both in complexity and in actuality, before anyone realizes what happened. The Supreme Leader is already a time-bomb in his own right. An angry, heartbroken Supreme Leader is a mental image that is threatening to keep Mitaka awake for the foreseeable future. He can only hope that what he was doing was for the best, because it has the potential to go very, very badly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit to @KyloIsSad on Twitter for the "keep your filthy hands off Rey" response (slightly tweaked for the situation)
> 
> "Suing one's own face for slander" was the brilliant mind of the late Sir Terry Pratchet. RIP.
> 
> Credit to @batninja02 on Tumblr for the "chat" between Hux and Ren that I tweaked somewhat.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux machinates, Stormtroopers prognosticate, Finn ruminates, Kylo pontificates, Mitaka decorates.
> 
> The ladies will take over next chapter.

Hux is adamantly opposed to falling in love with someone who so cavalierly destroys most of his materiel and no few of his soldiers <strike>and who insulted his mother</strike>. Poe Dameron, in Hux's superiorly-informed opinion, is nothing but a loose cannon flyboy whose broad shoulders look ridiculously good in a flight vest, and his absurdly cocksure, devil-may-care attitude is absolutely _not_ attractive. The only thing he really has going for him, if Hux is completely honest with himself (and Hux would never allow himself to be so unguarded, even with himself), is a really good dental hygiene routine, as evidenced by his smile. And maybe eyes that crinkle when he laughs--not that Hux had ever heard Dameron laugh, and Hux certainly does not waste any of his valuable time gazing into the middle distance and wondering what that laugh might sound like.

So given the overwhelming evidence against Dameron being considered attractive, Hux is at a total loss to understand why ANYONE would give credence to the notion that he and Dameron are compatible as lovers in any way. However, EVERYONE he's asked (all 3 of them, plus a random, double-blind sampling of the First Order's Holo(intra)Net) seems to think it's a perfect match--even Phasma. He had expected her to roll her eyes and walk away when he hinted at the absurd notion. Instead, the chromium Amazon had snorted something about having Dameron over for dinner and interrogation. It's nothing short of humiliating.

* * *

TX-6621 looked around, and once he was sure they were alone, addressed FD-8289.

"Hey Fred?"

"Yeah, Tex?"

"Did you smell that?"

"Smell what?"

"It smelled like cake."

"...uh oh."

Tex nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

There was a lull in conversation.

"What kind do you think it was?" Fred asked.

"What kind what was?"

"The cake."

"I dunno, do you think it makes a difference?"

"Well, the last time the Lieutenant made cake, we had just found out the Supremacy would be docking in 12 hours, and the Supreme Leader--the new one, before he became Supreme Leader, not the old one--would be coming aboard. He made a 9-layer spice cake and filled a different fruit between each layer. It took him pretty much the entire 12 hours."

Tex's helmet tilted slightly, as if he was giving Fred some side-eye.

"How do you know that?" Tex asked.

"I was assigned to his corridor that day. It was torture to smell it baking, although he snuck each of us a slice after clearing it with the Captain."

Tex's jaw dropped, hidden in the helmet, and he grunted in surprise.

"It was really good cake, but really complicated. I was talking to Valkrys about it, since she'd been here longer than anyone else I knew, and she said that the more complicated the cake, the worse the news. When she saw what he'd made, that's when she requested the transfer to _The Fulminatrix_. Obviously, that didn't work out too well for her, but since then, I've tried to keep an eye on the baking."

"Well, it smelled like burnt sugar." Tex opined.

"Huh. Haven't had that before." Fred was thoughtful. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

"Rose?" Finn nudges the petite woman sleeping on the bunk opposite his. She grumbles and rolls to her other side, and Finn sighs. Rose had done something she never did, to his knowledge: she had taken a sick day, and she had slept through breakfast, refusing to even acknowledge his attempts to wake her. That had hurt, too; Finn had lain awake half the night trying to figure out what he'd done, and couldn't come up with anything. He'd heard at breakfast that Rey had come back around dawn, but no one outside of Leia or Poe had seen more than a glimpse of her today.

_After Rey's abrupt and dramatic departure last night, Finn had immediately jumped on the comlink, trying to hail his oldest friend and find out what had happened. Rey had not only declined to answer him, she had shut off radio communication to and from the Falcon, and had blasted off. A thousand things had gone through his mind, none of them comforting. Had someone said or done something to upset Rey? Had someone HURT her? Anger had boiled up in his gut then, and he'd gotten pretty twisted up, only to have icy shards cut through that anger when he wondered if it was something he had said or done. Slinking back through the corridors, he'd found Rose staring mutely at the twisted mass of metal across the hall from her. _

_"Are you ok?" he'd asked her. Her only answer had been a glare, and he'd been filled with a kind of self-loathing that he didn't know he owned. If Rose was mad at him, then Rey's leaving must have been his fault. He had withdrawn as if stung, and, eyes downcast, trudged the rest of the way to his own room. He laid on his bunk as he replayed everything he had said or done in Rey's presence in the last week or so, looking for any clue as to how he'd driven the sweet, kind, and loyal Rey away from him. Lost in a sea of remorse and guilt, he'd been surprised to hear a knock about half an hour later, and even more surprised to find Rose at his door._

_"Can I sleep on the other bunk?" she'd asked. "No door, as I'm sure you've noticed." Her mouth twisted into something between a frown and a snarl, and Finn was entirely confused._

_"Uh...sure?"_

_"Thanks," she'd mumbled, shuffling in and throwing herself onto the other bunk._

_"Rose?"_

_"Mmph?"_

_"You wanna talk about it?"_

_"Ungh."_

_"Was it something I said?"_

_She raised her head and eyed him, full of annoyance and exhaustion. _

_"Go to sleep, Finnegan." Then she'd turned away from him and passed out._

He rustles the woman in the other bunk a little more forcefully. "Rose."

"Mmph!"

"Come eat lunch, Rose. Poe's orders. He's even going to show up today."

Brimming with the unfocused wrath of the groggy, Rose swats vaguely in Finn's direction as she rolls to face him.

"I even brought you pre-game kaf."

That gets a chuckle out of her, however bitter, and she sits up, bleary-eyed and fumbling for the mug in Finn's hands.

* * *

Kylo Ren is a man on a mission. He's given orders this evening that the only people allowed to comm or disturb him are Lt. _Commander_ Mitaka (the look on Dopheld's face had been priceless, in Kylo's opinion, and the burst of annoyance that came from Hux when Ren had ordered the promotion had been equally satisfying), Captain Phasma, or General Hux. After his evening training and a trip to the 'fresher, he'd pulled his hair back, tying it up off his neck and out of his way, he stuck a stylus behind one ear, and he sat down at his desk, cracking his knuckles. These were skills he hadn't exercised since he'd been someone else, but damned if anyone was going to best Kylo Ren in the art of impassioned academic discourse. He pulled out the data chip given to him by Commander Yersh, extracted image data from it, and started to type.

> @MATT4ORDER says: Check out my new meta on @JediReyofJakku and Supreme Leader Kylo Ren! Dropping tonight on ChirpBeep!

Kylo's going to show Rey that she really is everything to him, even if he has to drag the entire HoloNet into the act. He takes a deep breath, and begins typing.

> ### Love in an Elevator? A Meta-Analysis of the Relationship Between Supreme Leader Kylo Ren and Lady Rey.
> 
> In this analysis, I will show that there exists a quasi-romantic relationship between the Supreme Leader of the First Order and the Last Jedi. The evidence for this relationship exists primarily in the known actions of the two principles, recorded interactions between the two principles, and some basic understanding of human psychology. Let's begin, shall we?
> 
> What do we know about Lady Rey and the Supreme Leader? The facts are these:
> 
>   1. Lady Rey was in possession of a Resistance-owned BB unit that was being hunted by the First Order.
>   2. Lady Rey encountered a <strike>defective</strike> defected Stormtrooper in Niima Outpost.
>   3. Lady Rey took both the droid and the defector and stole a freighter, leaving Jakku. (Contrary to initial reports, the droid did NOT steal the freighter on its own.)
>   4. Lady Rey's next known destination was Takodana, specifically Maz Kanata's castle.
>   5. While on Takodana, Lady Rey encountered Kylo Ren.
>   6. Kylo Ren is not known to have encountered the defector or the targeted droid on Takodana.
>   7. Lady Rey was taken aboard _The Silencer_ by Kylo Ren.
> 
> It is important to pause here and to look at the context of these actions.
> 
>   * The two principles here have met in a battle, during which Lady Rey engaged Kylo Ren by firing her weapon before he made any aggressive moves. This suggests that his motivation was self-defense.
> 
>   * Rather than harming her, once Ren had the upper hand, he chose to render her unconscious.
> 
>   * He _CARRIED HER_ onto the command shuttle. This is particularly important, because this gives us insight into Ren's state of mind and motivations. He had ample opportunity to do anything he had wished to once she was immobilized and unconscious. If there were information he wanted, he could have used the Force to see inside Lady Rey's mind. If he had wanted to kill her, he could have done that as well. Instead, he appears to have had a motivation to keep her physically present. I think it's safe to say at this point, he was curious about her, and determined to take his time.

Kylo sips his kaf, re-reading his work so far. It's a good start, but there are still several days to cover. He rolls his neck from side to side, feeling the vertebrae pop and loosen, and gets back to typing.

* * *

Mitaka pulls a sheet pan of cake tins out of the oven and sets each one on its own cooling rack, turning off the oven. He then double-checks his counter to make sure that all the ingredients that the decorations would require are out. When he can no longer put it off any longer, he picks up his datapad and checks his messages. One in particular brings his heart and brain to a screeching halt.

> Chef -
> 
> You're hired. I hope you're as good at cinnamon buns as you are at cakes.
> 
> ~Pastry Queen

Mitaka swallows, blinking hard, and works to compose himself and a reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to be clear: I have ZERO REGRETS about Kylo's manbun + stylus behind the ear. Don't fucking @ me.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ladies have their say. Intensification intensifies. Two fateful decisions are made.

Rey isn't at the base much now, and she's found she prefers to take meals with Chewie on the _Falcon_. Eating in the common areas is uncomfortable and awkward ever since "the incident" with Rose. Particularly tricky had been the day that Finn had been sitting with Rose and had seen Rey emerge from the food counter with a tray. As soon as he'd locked eyes on Rey, he'd jumped up and sped to her side. Rose had immediately scowled, looking anywhere other than at the two of them.

"What did I say? What did I do to make you run away and turn off your radio?" he had asked, begging her to explain. On the one hand, Rey had been grateful that Rose hadn't revealed her secret. On the other...how was she going to get out of this conversation without losing another friend? The silence grew into a dense, heavy weight, pressing down on both of them, and Rey's mouth opened once, then closed, because she couldn't figure out what to say to him. At last, she went for something as close to the truth as she could manage.

"Finn, you've never said or done anything that would drive me away."

"Then why?" He looked relieved, but also concerned, and a little angry. "Was it what Rose said on the group?"

_Oh shit, _she thought. _Does he know? Then why would he think it's him? _Her thoughts spun in a blur.

"Rose showed you the post? Why would she--?"

Finn was shaking his head. "Poe, Kaydel, and I are all in the group."

She rolled her eyes. "Of COURSE! He's General Hugs, right?"

He smiled, slightly, but his face fell again. "So what was that about?"

She took in a deep breath, and sighed gustily. "Finn, I don't really want to talk about it in a crowded place like this. It's need-to-know." She put on her best General Organa Serious Face.

"Can you come by the Falcon after dinner? I promise I'll tell you everything I can."

He looked somewhat taken aback that she wouldn't be able to tell him everything, but his sense of relief and joy at inclusion outweighed everything else.

"Sure! So, do you want to come sit with us?"

She smiled, and leaned her head against his shoulder in lieu of a hug, given her full hands. "Thanks, but I think I just want to be by myself right now...I was planning to take this back to my room."

That, of course, had been a hasty lie, but if Finn recognized that, he didn't call her on it.

By the time she made it back to her quarters, her food was getting cold, and she wolfed it down, despite her dwindling appetite. It was better hot than cold, and she wasn't going to waste food. By the time she'd finished, she'd decided that it was time for General Organa to know everything. She was the only person besides Chewie who wouldn't judge her for her feelings about Ben, and she understood the Force, at least somewhat, which was even better. She returned her tray to the mess and set off to find Leia.

The General had taken one look at Rey and understood that she needed some "mom time."

"Come in, dear. Kaf?"

"No thanks, Leia. Do you...have a minute?"

"For you, Rey, I can find two." She winked. "So what's troubling you?"

"I'm seeing your son," Rey blurted out, before she could lose her nerve. Leia blinked once, twice, then sat down.

"How?"

"The Force."

"Of course." Leia rolled her eyes. "The damned Force never leaves the Skywalkers alone, and the galaxy pays the price."

Rey's jaw dropped; she'd never heard Leia speak so candidly about anything, especially not the Force or her family. The general's eyes narrowed.

"Rey, I want to talk to you about this in detail, but there are some things I need to know first. One, when you say you're 'seeing' him, do you mean having visions? Or something more...dynamic?"

Rey turned bright red. "Umm. We can have conversations, and we can see each other's surroundings sometimes, especially when we are close to or touching one another."

Leia took in her blush and her words. "_Touching?_ How often do you...touch?" Just when she thought Rey couldn't get any redder, the young Jedi's blush intensified.

"Only once, on Ahch-To...we touched hands. We didn't know it would work like that."

"Ahch-To?! How long has this been going on?"

"Since we met, probably...but the long-distance connections started when I went to Ahch-To."

"Rey. I don't know how you feel about him, but I know that I can't let my love for him overshadow how this connection might be used to harm us."

Rey nodded. "The last time we spoke, it was right after I...after I left the base. He came to me and...he thought I'd been harmed. He could tell I was on the _Falcon_. He was...scared for me."

Leia was dumbstruck. "He loves you."

Rey spoke at the same time. "And I...I think I love him." Then Rey's eyes went wide, and she shook her head.

"I don't think he loves me, Leia. He chose to rule the First Order rather than come with me when I begged him. When I refused to rule by his side, he came after us on Crait, and told Luke that he would destroy me." Rey's voice cracked as she blinked away tears. "He might have cared about me once, but... I don't think he does anymore. I don't know how to make this stop, and...I'm afraid, like you are, that if he can see where I am, he might use that to hunt the Resistance."

Leia's heart ached for Rey.

_The poor girl is so accustomed to being used and discarded!_

Leia's heart hurt because Rey reminded her so much of a young, dark-haired boy whose innate powers had placed a target the size of the galaxy on his back.

_I may not know Ben as well as I thought, or as well as I used to, but I _am_ his mother, and I _know_, as surely as I know my own name, that Ben loves her. They are kindred spirits._

In that moment, Leia swore to herself that she would save Rey from the same fate; she will never allow anyone to use Rey, Force powers or otherwise, for their own agenda.

"Rey, I'm not so old that I've forgotten how Solo men behave when they're in love." Rey blushed at that, all the way down to her tunic.

"I have an idea," Leia said, her eyes sparkling.

This is how Rey found herself the Special Attaché to General Organa, a position that requires her to report to Leia alone and generally keeps her off-planet. The Force Bond can't give away their location if she isn't in it, and besides, this keeps her secret from those who wouldn't understand--that is, everyone except Leia and Chewie, who roared his approval when Leia commed him to suggest the plan. Tapping out an apology to Finn on her holopad ('General Organa is sending me on an urgent mission, sorry I won't see you tonight, talk when I get back!'), Rey bolted up the ramp to the Falcon, and blasted off.

* * *

It's been less than 24 standard hours, and Captain Phasma is officially sick of this shit. For an hour or two, it had been a bit of novelty. Then, it became a distraction. Now, watching Armitage Hux pine over the Resistance pilot, while pretending he isn't really interested in the Resistance pilot, has lost any transient charm it might have possessed.

_At least Kylo Ren doesn't WHINE about the Jedi. . . . I can't believe I just compared _Ren_ favorably to _Hux_._

One more on the list of Armitage's sins today: eliciting unfavorable comparisons with the man-child in charge of the First Order. She snorts. Of course, it's _her_ fault that Hux is even aware of the _Thirst Order_ in the first place...but she doesn't see any reason to bring that up. She isn't saying it's his _fault. _She's _blaming_ him.

Ordinarily, she would dump Hux in Mitaka's lap, and leave it at that, but the poor man seems to have become some kind of personal therapist, or chef, or something, to the Supreme Leader, and even Phasma isn't _that_ sadistic, to make him cope with both men. Even if she were, though, she grumbles as she remembers that the newly-minted Lieutenant Commander isn't even on board the Finalizer. He's leading a squadron on the surface of Takodana--a surprise inspection to make sure that wrinkly, ancient "Pirate Queen" was abiding by the terms of her surrender to not harbor or aid anyone from the Resistance, and to supply the First Order. His squad is also responsible for picking up their requisitioned goods while planetside today.

Phasma swears under her breath. Is 1100 too early to drink?

* * *

Having sent Rey on her first mission--to New Alderaan to pick up some badly needed funds and any new volunteers for the Resistance, Leia checks her holocron; she'd finished up with Rey just in time. The general flips the switch, and Maz appears.

"My dear, how are you?" Maz's voice is tender. Leia hadn't met Maz in the flesh in many years, but she had always kept tabs on Han when he was away, and Leia had known she could trust Maz to keep her in the loop regarding Han's safety. That Maz had managed to do so and yet not to reveal anything about Han's 'business affairs' showed that she is the ultimate in discretion and trustworthiness.

"I'm as well as I can be, I suppose," Leia replies with a smile. "Business is good, I trust?"

"Oh yes, in times like these, it always is. This transmission is originating from one of my lockdown rooms, so I'm going to put your contact through. His code name is Doppelganger."

Maz disappears from the holo and a baby-faced man in a First Order uniform takes her place. Mitaka's eyes bulge ever so slightly when he realizes he's looking General Organa in the face.

"I..._you're_ the Gardener?" Reeling in his shock, he hastily adds, "Ma'am?"

"I'm afraid I'm a little rusty on insignia, young man, though that doesn't really matter. For now, you're Doppelganger."

"Yes ma'am...I...oh, my." Color stains his cheeks, and he clears his throat nervously. "I need your expertise, and am willing to pay in trade."

Leia's eyebrows nearly vanish into her hairline. "_My _expertise? Go on."

Mitaka's face contorts as he tries to figure out how to code this properly, in case he should be overheard, but he can't figure it out, and anyway, he's in Maz' private (the proprietress had called it "unsliceable", but Dopheld wasn't inclined to trust any such claim) transmission room. He sighs, looking overworked and--for lack of a better word--anxious.

"I'm truly terrible at this, aren't I?" He gives a small, wobbly smile that threatens to topple into a frown, then takes a deep breath.

"Supreme Leader Ren knows that I am here, but doesn't know about this, so I'm not speaking with his authority. In fact, no one else in the First Order seems to realize it yet, but..." Mitaka takes another deep breath and hurries through the next few words as if they're burning his tongue.

"weneedyourhelp."

Leia, for once, is at an utter loss for words. Mitaka takes a moment to slow and steady his breathing; even through the holo, Leia can tell that he is sweating and looks pasty, like he might be ill.

"In return," he finally continues after a few more breaths, "I think we can negotiate an end to the war. What would it take to get your Jedi to meet with the Supreme Leader, privately and discreetly?"

Now she smiles, and he looks perplexed.

"I can't promise that she'll agree," Leia begins, holding her sabacc cards close to her vest, "but if she does, I can provide a neutral location. How long will it take you to get the Supreme Leader to the Anoat sector?"

"Two days? Three at the outside." The _Finalizer _is IN the Anoat sector, but there's no need for the Resistance to know that.

Leia nods. The young man is a terrible liar, but it wouldn't serve any good purpose to call him on it.

"Very well. Our mutual contact will send you a message. It shouldn't be difficult to translate."

"I, uh--okay. Ma'am," and he's touching his fingers to his cap, not quite a salute, but respectful nonetheless.

Leia slumps back in her chair, overcome with wonder, and reaches for her tea. Someone from the First Order, fairly high-ranking if his insignia had been any indication (yes, she understands their insignia, but _he_ didn't need to know that), had come to her to broker a peace between her son and Rey, and by extension, maybe for the entire galaxy. For the first time in years, she allows the warm carelessness of hope and love to spread through her veins with a slow fire. Force willing, she might live to see her son _happy_. Just this once, she lets the tears fall.

* * *

Fred is on a break when he sees his counterpart come into the breakroom. He motions to Tex, calling his attention to the plated slices of cake that have mysteriously appeared.

"Spice cake with caramel icing, three layers."

"So what do you think that means?" Tex asks, apprehension growing.

Fred picks up a slice and gives it a taste.

"Problem solved."

Tex's sigh of relief is audible, and he takes a slice for himself, removing his helmet. His eyes widen as the pastry melts in his mouth.

"This is amazing!"

Fred nods sagely. "That's how you know it's 'problem solved'."

* * *

> ...and so, it is only right that Kylo Ren is impressed with the woman who bests him, whose strength in the Force rivals his own, and who is cunning enough to use his own knowledge and techniques against him--and _for_ him.
> 
> What I'm dropping on you right here is exclusive footage obtained from secret sources within the First Order. This electrifying footage shows the death of the former Supreme Leader Snoke after torturing and ordering the execution of Lady Rey. Just before he began to torture her, he threatened that once he was done with her, he would "kill her with the cruelest stroke"--and then ordered Lord Ren to kill her. That Snoke believed having Ren kill Rey was the "cruelest" stroke only makes sense if Snoke believed that Lady Rey had feelings for, or was even in love with, Kylo Ren, and would therefore be executed by someone that she cared for.
> 
> The Lady is forced to her knees before Ren, rendered immobile. She is vulnerable, here, and the only word that she says appears to be Ren's name.
> 
> Snoke fully expected Kylo Ren's compliance with his order to kill Lady Rey. It would appear that Ren reciprocated Rey's feelings, as he appears to have used the Force to kill Snoke instead!
> 
> The two then **joined forces** to fight against Snoke's guards. To fight back to back with someone? You'll never convince me there's nothing going on between them.
> 
> (And to seal the deal: check out _THIS. THIGH. GRAB.)_
> 
> Now, it's clear that there are feelings between them. She marched into Snoke's throne room believing in him and his capacity for goodness, and he killed the Supreme Leader of the First Order to protect her. It is unclear why they did not stay together after the defeat of Snoke; they seem to have parted ways over a misunderstanding. However, there is no available evidence that leads me to believe that their separation is permanent.
> 
> In conclusion: It is clear to me that Kylo Ren is madly in love with Lady Rey. (You don't kill anyone who threatens her because she's alright to hang out with, right?) It is somewhat less clear to me what the depth of her feeling is, although she seems to feel positively about him, at least according to the available evidence. 
> 
> What comes next for this pair? It's not for a radar technician to say.
> 
> ~Matt

Rey stares, and doesn't know what to think. On the one hand, she is _livid_. It's the second time that this group has been used to air what she feels are her private moments--she feels exposed, and is deeply uncomfortable with the idea that the whole galaxy can see what happened in that throne room. On the other hand, @MATT4ORDER is making a persuasive argument, and Leia had been convinced of Ben's feelings for her as well. On a side note, watching that last scene, where she used his body for leverage against those guards, her face is _aflame_ with...something. She and Ben had been fighting as one, like two bodies with a single mind. She really hadn't thought about where she had put her hands. Had he? Before she can help it, her mind begins to construct an alternate ending to that disastrous, heartbreaking day...one where she put her hands in more places than his thigh...would it have happened there, amidst the carnage? Rey's stomach turns at the idea. If only he had stopped the firing on the fleet...if only they could have gotten away together. They could have talked. They could have worked things out. They could have found other uses for their mouths after the talking was done. Rey's head tips back, exposing her throat, imagining his warm, huge, beautiful hands cupping her body; imagining the sensation of his mouth kissing its way down the column of her throat. What would his arms feel like under her fingers? She had wanted so much to run her hands over his massive chest that night, when she saw him through the bond without a shirt. It feels foolish to admit it, but that night made her see him differently--he is so much more than an object of desire, but she _did _want him. She still does. She can be honest with herself about that, now.

** _Rey._ **

_Ben...I...I'm sorry._

**_Yeah...me too_.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter is late, and I fear it's not really up to snuff. I've had a few days where language just hasn't flowed like it normally does, in any aspect of my life. Please forgive any garbage parts, and I hope that any good parts make up for the deficiencies.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moments of clarity abound.

"Chewie?!" There is an edge of panic in Rey's voice that has the Wookie immediately sniffing for danger.

"We need to turn the ship around."

_//We already have our hyperlane clearance...are you sure?//_

Rey nods emphatically. Just then, the comm buzzes.

"Rey?"

It's Leia.

"Yes, General?"

"I'm glad I caught you before you hit the hyperlanes."

_//Only just,//_ Chewie grumbles. Although the Wookie was pretty easy-going, no one really likes having galactic travel plans upended at the absolute last possible moment.

"I'm sorry, Chewie," Leia soothes, "but it's for a good reason, I promise."

He chuffs his acknowledgement.

"Rey, I have received word that the First Order may be willing to negotiate an end to the war. If you're willing to go, this might be our best chance for peace."

"Of course I'll go, Leia." _Will _he _be there?_

Leia picks up on her unspoken question (or it was just that obvious).

"I don't know who will be negotiating for the First Order, Rey. I can't guarantee that you will or won't meet up with anyone."

Rey's chin firms, her body taking on a posture of resolve.

"It doesn't matter, General. I'll be there."

"Thank you, Rey." Leia's relief is palpable...and...something else?

"Will I see you there?"

"Forgive me, Rey, but it would be better if you didn't know who else was part of the team."

"Of course, Leia. No harm done."

A comm conversation, and their hyperlane clearances to travel in the opposite direction, to the Anoat system, are in place--though not without a little grumbling and some ruffled fur.

* * *

> @Imallyeahbutshesallnah posted:
> 
> OM did you all see that crazy-ass meta?! WHAT?!
> 
> TL;DR  


* * *

Mitaka's comm buzzes.

> _Chef-_
> 
> _We have a request for a cake decorated with candied spinebarrel blossoms. I have attached a picture for your reference. Can you take the commission?_
> 
> _~Pastry Queen_

Mitaka has seen a lot of strange plants--most of them ingredients--but he is at a loss for how to interpret this one. He looks up spinebarrels, and there isn't much.

> _Spinebarrel: Native to Jakku, these flowers bloom best in adverse, desert-like conditions_.

_Jakku..._ Mitaka shudders at the memory, his hand moving involuntarily to his throat. He comms the Supreme Leader.

"Yes?"

"Supreme Leader, I have received some information that I believe might lead us to the Resistance--" he hears Ren's sharp intake of breath "--but there is one thing I don't quite understand, a puzzle piece that doesn't quite fit."

Kylo's brow furrows, and his hands are _not_ trembling. "What might that be?"

"The Jedi: do you know her home planet?"

"Jakku."

"Ah," Mitaka sighs. "I had thought so, but knew that you would be certain. The Resistance are on their way to Bespin."

_"Bespin?!"_

Kylo puts his face in his palm. Of _course_ it would be kriffing _Bespin_...but then...Uncle Lando is nothing if not a romantic at heart...this might actually work to his advantage.

"You sound displeased, Supreme Leader." Mitaka is very nervous about this.

"It...I never expected Calrissian to make his support for General Organa so open." Kylo demurs, pausing. "Mitaka, how did you obtain this information?"

The Supreme Leader's voice is dangerously curious, and Mitaka tries not to swallow audibly.

"Intelligence. A double agent embedded on the _Finalizer_."

"A double agent." There is a long pause, and Mitaka's all-too-brief life flashes before his eyes.

The Supreme Leader passes sentence with a cool, though not entirely unaffected, voice: "You've got balls of durasteel."

It takes everything Mitaka has not to choke and betray his secret, which would undoubtedly lead to more choking.

"I'm pleased it came in handy, Supreme Leader."

"When will they exit hyperspace?"

"By my calculations, about 2 standard days from now."

"Did your...mole...happen to mention whether the Jedi would be there?"

"They guaranteed it."

Kylo arches an eyebrow. "Interesting. Keep me apprised of further communications, Mitaka."

"Acknowledged, Supreme Leader. Mitaka out."

Kylo pauses, steeling his belly with a deep breath, then picks up his holopad to send a secure encryption to Governor Calrissian.

A fairly immediate ping follows; Lando wants to talk to Kylo. In Cloud City. Alone.

_Deep breaths. There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no emotion, there is peace._

The irony of his mantra isn't lost on him. He comms the hangar bay to prepare his ship for departure, and then sends Mitaka a message to let him know that he is heading to Bespin early to engage in private negotiations with Governor Calrissian before the Resistance arrives. This isn't to be kept secret, he explains, but he doesn't want to broadcast that he's leaving the ship. A small duffel in tow, he makes for the _Silencer_.

* * *

> @Babeofthefirstorder replied:
> 
> WTF does a gorgeous man like _that_ see in a sand rat like _her_ ANYWAY!?
> 
> @Imallyeahbutshesallnah replied:
> 
> Some guys like a woman who can shake her ass...others like a woman who can kick it. *rawr*

* * *

Rose is sitting in her room, her Haysian smelt medallion in her hands. She caresses the symbol, her heart aching for her big sister.

_Pae-pae...what do I do? I hurt so much, I miss you so much...I wish you were here to comfort me. I wish you were here to tell me how to fix this._

She had let her anger get the better of her, and destroy the blossoming friendship she'd had with Rey. Still, though, it was hard to fathom what she had learned...she can't imagine anyone, least of all the Jedi who was the symbol of the Resistance and of hope, loving, and submitting to the caresses of, someone as evil as Kylo Ren. Had she been able to sit still and listen to Rey, she would know how it was possible. She's been trying to pretend that she hadn't hurt herself in any way by rejecting Rey, and that Rey's hurt feelings didn't matter, since she was in love with someone evil. Even Rose, angry as she was (and still is), as much as she hates the First Order, isn't so cold-hearted that she can really convince herself Rey's feelings don't matter. They matter very much--if for no other reason, they matter because seeing Finn's heart bleeding for Rey was hurting them both. Further down, in the secret corners of her heart, Rose also feels the loss of female companionship. It is a wound created by Paige's death, a wound that Rey's friendship had been helping to mend. A wound that Rose herself had ripped back open.

_Just because you listen to someone doesn't mean you agree with them, Rosey. You learn more from listening to people you don't agree with. How do you think spies do their job?_

Whether they were Paige's words or not, her voice is in Rose's head, and...it's true. Listening to Rey wouldn't mean agreeing with everything (or anything) she said. The First Order is evil. It's almost an axiom. It's a truth that Rose can cling to, no matter what Rey might say about Kylo Ren. The First Order destroyed her family, her home, and the entire Haysian system. Kylo Ren is the head of the First Order. You don't get to be in charge of an evil paramilitary organization by being a nice, good person.

Rose sighs, and her comm chirps. She picks it up, and her heart does a funny little flip: General Organa wants to meet with her at her earliest opportunity. She blinks, re-reads it, and her heart drops into her shoes. The General undoubtedly knows what happened.

_Does she blame me? She wouldn't, if she knew what I know. _

Is she going to tell the General? It would probably drive a permanent wedge between her and Rey...a thing that would wound Finn deeply. But...the Resistance is more important than any one or two people and their feelings, right? Her words about saving what she loves haunt her now. Then, Rose is thunderstruck by a thought: perhaps that is exactly what Rey is trying to do: save Kylo Ren. Is that what Rey had been trying to tell her? Is that even _possible?_

_Maybe_, she thinks. After all, in their infiltration of and near-execution on the _Finalizer,_ Rose had come to understand many things about the environment Finn had grown up in, and had come to accept that what made him a hero was his choice to reject all of that.

_"I wasn't strong enough on my own,"_ he had said. _"I had help. I had Poe's help to escape, and then I had Rey's help to realize what mattered. She looked at me like no one ever had, like I wasn't Stormtrooper filth, like I could be...something more. Someone better."_ At that moment, Rose had been filled with a painful jealousy at the idea that Finn and Rey might be in love. But then, Finn had looked at her with such softness in his eyes.

_"And now, there's you. The First Order hurt you in so many ways, but you still treat me like...like..."_ Finn had faltered, stumbling in language that he wasn't really fluent in; expressing feelings wasn't standard 'Trooper training. _"You _saved _me. I was _worth saving_."_

For the first time in two days, Rose took a deep breath, and felt a sense of peace wash over her. She touched her medallion again.

_Thank you, Pae-pae. _

General Organa was waiting for her in her "office", a sort of anteroom in her personal chambers.

"Engineer Tico. Kaf?"

"No ma'am, thank you."

"Tea?"

Rose fidgeted, just a little.

"Uh, sure. Please."

The general poured tea and offered it to the engineer before pouring her own. She sat, took a sip, and waited. She had summoned Tico because of the incident that had happened with Rey, but sensed that the young woman would tell her what she wanted to know without interrogation. In fact, it would probably get her more information than questioning her outright.

Rose found the silence increasingly uncomfortable. "You summoned me, General?"

The older woman smiled, a maternal air about her.

"Call me Leia. May I call you Rose?"

"Oh! Of-of course, Gen--Leia...ma'am." She took a shaky breath. "I guess you...want to know what happened...the other night?"

Leia simply smiled and nodded.

"Dissent and bad feelings in the ranks are bad for everyone, Rose. People start distrusting each other, and that leads to people getting hurt, or killed. I'm certain that there was a misunderstanding, but nothing a little conversation can't fix."

"I wish I had your confidence, ma'am."

"Well, Rose, I don't have any reason right now to be pessimistic about it, but it sounds like you do. Since the rumor mill hasn't caught me up yet, that inclines me to believe that you haven't told anyone about what happened. Holding things that upsetting close to your heart has a way of blotting out hope."

Rose sighed, a sad sound.

"I don't know what to do, Leia. I don't know how to choose between hurting the one I love most and hurting everyone around me."

Leia's hand reached out, covering Rose's, offering comfort.

"I think...I think that I'm not the only one who's having to make that choice right now."

* * *

> @TheAmazingRando posted:
> 
> She's the last Jedi...
> 
> He's the Jedi Killer...
> 
> They're a thing...

* * *

Safely in Cloud City, and awaiting his meeting with Uncle Lando, Kylo delves into his duffel, pulling out a baggy grey workers' uniform, an orange vest, some BCGs, and a newly-requisitioned blonde wig. He sighs...he really hates that kriffing wig.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No memes, just a short addition. A hefty dose of angst, but with resolution.

The _Silencer _lands on the platform at Cloud City, and Kylo runs through his post-flight checklist, then goes to his quarters to gather his belongings. He puts the technician's uniform back in his duffel and walks down the ramp.

There is no one on the dock to meet the Supreme Leader. In the city among the clouds, above a gas giant, the wind whips and swirls, and Kylo cuts a pretty impressive figure--until the bay doors open. Maker, but there is no one in the galaxy who can rock a cape like Governor Lando Calrissian. He and his security entourage stride onto the platform, Lando himself walking to within arm's reach of Kylo. Seconds tick by, and the two men eye each other, neither saying a word. Then, with a speed that belies his age, Lando connects with a sucker punch. Kylo's face snaps to the side, and he staggers back a step, clearly surprised, but before he can react, Lando pulls him into a tight hug.

"You've got a lot of guts coming here, _Ben_, after everything you've done. I'll hear you out, but that's _all_ I will promise you."

Kylo hangs his head and mumbles. "That's fair."

Lando _tch!_-s. "More than. If you were any other man, godson, you'd be dead now."

"Yeah, I know."

Kylo punches a code into his comm that retracts the _Silencer_'s ramp and locks the ship, then steps forward, the security team closing to flank him and Lando, and the group walks back into the hangar bay. They make their way to a conference room, and Kylo voluntarily hands over his saber to Lando before they step inside. Lando, in turn, hands it to Lobot, with instructions to put it in 'the box'. Kylo is loath to be without his saber, but he understands that he needs to demonstrate that he really has come in a spirit of contrition and goodwill, and handing over his saber to Lando is a necessary gesture.

They sit, Kylo removes his gloves, and Lando wastes no time.

"_Why._"

"Would it help you to see it?"

"_NO_. I don't need to watch my best friend die!"

Kylo sighs, and scrubs his face with his hands.

"I...there were a lot of reasons, and maybe none of them were good enough, but they're all true. The nightmares I used to have, the dark impulses...those were all Snoke. He was in my mind since I was a toddler, maybe before that. Ge--Leia said that she'd sensed darkness around me before I was born. I grew up with a voice constantly in my head that told me I was different, special, no one could understand me. That everyone who knew my heritage was jealous of my power. That Han and Leia were afraid of me. That they believed their own son was a monster. I heard Han say once that I had 'too much Vader' in me. What was I to make of that? I didn't even find out about my relationship to Vader until after the Jedi Academy."

"The Jedi Academy that you burnt to the ground?" Lando snarls. "Where you killed all of the other students?!"

"Luke tried to kill me first!" Kylo roars, anger giving way to anguish. "I woke up to find him standing over me with his saber ignited and murder in his eyes! He judged me a lost cause and was going to kill me in my sleep!"

He takes a shaky breath, while Lando tries to pick his jaw up off of the floor. The reports had said nothing about that. Even Leia hadn't said anything about that.

_Does she know?_ Lando wonders.

"When I told the other students what had happened, of _course_ no one believed me," Kylo scoffs bitterly. "They accused me of murdering Luke and turning to the Dark Side, and attacked me...what could I do? In the end, it all went as Snoke had intended. When Luke invaded my mind--which is _not_ a Jedi technique, by the way--Snoke was aware of it and showed him the darkest things, dragged him into my nightmares. Snoke realized that no one would believe my word versus 'Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master and Hero'. I only understood these things much, much later--once Snoke was dead. Did you know I killed him?"

Lando is silent, his fingers laced together, his chin resting on his thumbs.

"With Han...he came to Starkiller to rescue Rey, I think. I don't think he came there just for me." Lando shakes his head, but Kylo ignores him, pressing on. "Snoke had ordered me to kill Han. He said it was my 'final test', that it would snuff out the rest of the Light in my soul. The conflict between the Light and the Dark was a constant source of pain for me, and the Light--well, _Luke_, but I didn't really understand the difference then--had rejected me as too Dark to live, so my only choice to be free of the agony of being torn between was to snuff out the Light...or so I thought. He promised me that killing Han would do that. That I would be free of my pain. And...even then...when I felt Han's presence on Starkiller, I ignored him. I didn't _want_ to kill him! But he...called me out. He came to me, even when I tried to walk away. I almost...I almost left with him. But it hurt so much, and I just wanted to be free of my pain. He said he'd help me...said he'd do anything. His finger and mine were both on the switch...and...I...it was all a lie..."

Kylo takes several deep breaths, struggling to compose himself. Lando doesn't look much better. It all sounds horribly plausible; that kind of reckless love had always been Han's way.

"And even after all that, it wasn't enough for Snoke, or for the Dark. It didn't destroy the Light. It only brought me more pain...and pain to my mother, and Chewie, and Rey, and everyone who cared about him."

"That it did," Lando agrees. "But how did you go from murdering Han to destroying Snoke in a handful of days?"

Kylo gives an ephemeral, fleeting upturn of his lips. "Rey."

Lando shakes his head.

"I had given everything to Snoke, to the Dark, and it wasn't enough. She...she believed in me. She believed in Ben Solo, and in the Light, enough to ship herself directly to the _Supremacy_ in a crazy bid to save me. I couldn't let him destroy her. I was that fool once, but not twice."

A wry smile is on Lando's lips. "Like father, like son, I suppose."

Kylo flinches. "I'm not good enough to merit the comparison."

"Had you planned to kill Snoke?"

"Not until he tortured her and ordered her execution."

"That is the most Han Solo thing you could have possibly done, Ben." Lando sighs, suddenly looking old. "Knowing your father as well as I do, he probably knew that his number was up as soon as he met you on Starkiller. You said you ignored him, and he could have ignored you and just slipped away into the night, but he wasn't going to do that. Leia was counting on him to bring you home."

"Whether that mission succeeded remains to be seen."

Lando arches an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

"I happen to know that the Resistance is on their way here. I assume Leia isn't just dropping in without warning you."

"Well..." Lando tries to demur with a chuckle, but then his face turns serious. "What do you plan to do?"

"I...I want to patch things up with Rey."

"Patch things up?"

"Well, after I killed Snoke, she and I fought together against his guards and after that...I tried to...well, I basically proposed to her, and said all of the wrong things in the worst possible way."

"_Definitely_ your father's son," Lando mutters.

"And...then Crait happened. So we weren't exactly on friendly terms."

Both Lando's eyebrows shoot up. "_'Weren't' _?"

"Weren't," Kylo affirms, not wanting to go into further detail.

"Hmm. And the rest of the Resistance? Your mother?"

"I hate politics."

Lando laughs, a loud and boisterous sound. "You are in the wrong job, godson."

Kylo smirks. "Yeah, I kind of figured that out."

Shaking his head, Lando sighs, "So you really are just here for the girl."

A nod. "But I think if the Resistance sees that my fleet is here, and they are, they'll turn tail. With reason. But perhaps there are improvements for the people of Cloud City that the First Order can provide?"

Skepticism plays over Lando's face, and Kylo whips out his datapad, just in time for over a half-dozen notifications to hit it.

> _//Chirp!//_
> 
> _Congratulations on your chirp being recycled 500 times!_
> 
> _Congratulations on your chirp being recycled 1000 times!_
> 
> _Congratulations on your chirp being recycled 1500 times!_
> 
> _Your chirp has been bumped 17,933 times!_
> 
> _You have 327 new friend requests!_
> 
> _You have 497 new mentions!_
> 
> _You have 244 new messages!_

Lando eyes his godson. "The Supreme Leader is on Chirpbeep?"

Kylo turns crimson, and runs a hand through his hair. "Not exactly?"

"What does 'not exactly' mean?"

"Well..." Kylo begins...

* * *

A good half-hour and loads of good-natured ribbing later, Kylo finds himself in a suite of rooms, marveling at his good fortune. Lando, Han's dearest and fiercest friend outside of Chewbacca, has forgiven him...or at least, he understands better, and isn't going to kill him. That's good enough, in Kylo's opinion. Mitaka's calculation had been correct, and between now and when the Resistance arrives, "Matt" and his team of technicians will have begun construction on an improved water filtration system and a new radar relay.

_Good enough._ When was the last time that was true of anything he'd done?


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another day, another spit-take. Will no one think of the kaf?!
> 
> Oh yeah, and our space idiots meet in the flesh once more.

Matt's been busy. His good work ethic and devotion to the First Order has gotten the attention of no less a personage than the Supreme Leader himself, so he's been bumped up the ranks to Technician Team Lead. At least, that's how his personnel file explains the shiny 'MATT - TECH TEAM LEAD' badge that's attached to his orange safety vest. Matt _has _been overseeing the installation of a new water system. The work on the radar relay system will begin the day after tomorrow, and if the Resistance's negotiation team can't leave for a couple of days due to safety concerns while the radar relay is down, well, there's no such thing as progress without struggle.

Matt has to remind himself of that last thought at least 4 times per hour. It's _progress_ that he's managed not to force-choke _anyone_ for _14 whole work hours_...and the struggle is all too real. He takes a deep breath and adjusts his glasses; thankfully, his shift is nearly over. He's become increasingly edgy today since Rey's Force signature began to intensify; she'll be here soon.

"...so like I was saying, Matt, I was about to take the last muffin on the plate, but then Dia comes along and takes it before I can get there!"

** _Maker, what_ IS _it with First Order techs and their karking _muffins_?!_ **

"...sounds rough..." he says, utterly disinterested and doing his best to make that clear between his total lack of eye contact and bored tone, but Jared isn't taking the hint.

"Exactly! _Exactly!_"

Jared's whining monologue continues as Matt's eyelids slip closed to hide an eyeroll so deep, he can see the underside of his scalp.

** _Two. more. hours._ **

_Ben?_

Rey's voice sends him into a panic. With a snarl, he throws his mental walls up, stalking off toward the shift supervisor office.

"Hey, sorry Matt! Really, it's no big deal, forget I mentioned it!"

Matt has no idea what exactly it was that he's supposed to be forgetting, so he just tosses a lazy thumbs-up over his shoulder. Rey is nearly here, and Kylo realizes that, once again, he hadn't quite thought this through. Of course, he isn't attending the peace talks as the Supreme Leader, but that won't stop Rey from being able to track him by his Force signature. His plan to silently observe her is completely upended by this realization, and he wants to growl, grab his lightsaber, and reduce some piece of this room to a smoking crater. There are at least 2, probably more, reasons why he can't do this: he doesn't have his lightsaber, and, even if he did, he's not going to do that in his godfather's place.

_You have the advantage here. You've done something so outrageous that the only people that will realize it won't be able to call you out on it without looking insane or paranoid._

When the thought comes to him, it's in Mitaka's voice.

He now has an Inner Mitaka.

An involuntary groan escapes him, dragging with it an ironic smirk that plasters itself across his features. So yeah, Inner Mitaka's advice is good. Let Rey try to figure out how to call him on it. He buries himself in paperwork for the next couple of hours, so hyperfocused that the landing of the _Millenium Falcon_ doesn't even register in his conscious thought. After handing over the shift change to Leslie, he walks back toward his rooms, eager to shuck the wig and take a shower.

"...and then, Madame Jedi, Governor Calrissian has asked that you and General Organa be his guests for dinner this evening."

Matt instinctively flattens himself against the wall, behind an archway post. He feels the eddying of Rey's Force signature, tendrils snaking toward him, and he redoubles his mental walls, willing himself to be invisible.

"Madame Jedi?" The voice sounds almost concerned.

"I'm sorry," Rey replies, distracted. "I thought I sensed a presence."

She paused, and then continued in a more hopeful tone. "Did the Governor say who else might be at dinner this evening?"

"It is to be a private dinner, ma'am."

"I see." She sounds almost...disappointed? "Thank you, Lucian."

He bows. "Madame Jedi."

Rey presses and holds her hand to the door, which lights up blue and green after a few seconds, and walks in. Matt inhales noisily, his body desperate for air; he had forgotten to breathe the entire time that she was there. He is so hungry for her presence, her physical presence, that it _hurts_. He debates simply going up to her door and ringing (or just Forcing it open) and immediately wrapping her in his arms, but... he needs to wait. He needs to be sure that she no longer has any doubts about this, about them. In a near-daze, he looks around to figure out where he is and how to get back to his chambers, and comes up short, chuckling. Rey's quarters are right next door to his own. He's joined in his chuckle by a voice that shouldn't be there.

_Lando, you old smoothie._

Squeezed between pain, love, and anticipation, his heart somehow continues to beat as he stumbles into his own chambers and collapses on his bed, tears staining the sheets.

* * *

Rey sifts nervously through the gowns that Leia has brought for her as Leia is putting the finishing touches on her own hair.

"I'm...I've never done this before, Leia."

"Never done what, Rey?"

"Dressing up. Fancy dinners. Peace negotiations. Any of it."

Leia smiles. "Fortunately, you're not really here to negotiate. You're here partly to keep the parties honest." With that, Leia taps the side of her browline.

"What's the other part?"

"Your presence here was a pre-condition for negotiations to even begin."

"WHAT?!" Had Leia lied to her about not being used?

_"No,_ Rey," Leia cuts off her train of thought. "You are _not_ a pawn, not to me, and I won't allow anyone else to use you as one. Remember, you're here because you yourself chose to be."

"Then why--"

"The envoy from the First Order made it clear that your presence was necessary as a pre-condition, and that you would not be harmed. Beyond that, it seemed fruitless to push."

Rey takes a deep breath. Leia is right, of course. The Force had guided her here. The best thing to do now is to sit back and allow it to continue guiding her. That might be more difficult than it seems, though, with _his_ Force signature so near, almost overwhelming.

"I...I have no idea what to wear. Could you help me?"

A brilliant smile, suffused with warmth, seems to fill the room.

"Of course, Rey."

A little over half an hour later, the two women emerge from Leia's quarters to be escorted by Lucian to the Governor's private dining chambers. Lando's eyes light up on seeing the two women, and he seizes Leia's hand.

"Even after all this time, Leia, you still put the stars and clouds to shame." His lips brush her knuckles before pulling her into a hug. "I am so sorry about Han."

Leia returns his hug, smiling but misty-eyed. "I can feel how much it hurt you too, Lando. Thank you for giving hope a landing platform."

After a pause, she gestures to Rey. "Governor Lando Calrissian of Bespin, may I present the Jedi, Lady Rey of Jakku, Luke's last apprentice."

Jedi or not, Lando's manners are as courtly and smooth as ever, taking Rey's outstretched hand and turning it over to brush her knuckles with his lips, but nothing more.

"Welcome, Madame Jedi."

"Thank you, Governor."

"Please, call me Lando."

"I'm much more comfortable being called Rey. This 'Madame Jedi' business feels too pretentious for a Jakku scavenger like me."

Lando smiles, a wide, beautiful grin, and offers each woman an arm. Rey can see where he might have been quite the charmer in his younger years.

"You'll have to tell me more about that," he says, his tone light. "Jakku's never been an easy planet."

"You have no idea," Rey drolls, and the three of them walk to the dining room.

Two hours later, Rey is so full of food she can barely move. Lando and Leia have listened to some of her less-depressing stories of life in Niima Outpost, and Lando had graced them with some of the more hilarious misadventures of his and Han's misspent youth. There had even been some stories in there that Leia hadn't known, and the two women had laughed until tears had rolled down their cheeks. Then he had called for dessert, a rich, creamy affair served with very, very good kaf.

"So," Lando begins, "you have quite the command of formal dining etiquette, Rey. I wouldn't think there would be much call for that in Jakku?"

"Leia's been teaching me." It is an honest answer, if innocuously phrased, and Rey blushes; Leia had been helping her for the entire meal, bringing to the front of her memories decades in formal etiquette training, and allowing Rey to access them. It meant a sumptuous dinner hadn't been spoiled, and Rey is eternally grateful. Anxious to divert the topic from her upbringing, she asks,

"Who else is supposed to be here for these negotiations?"

A look is exchanged between Lando and Leia, and Leia shrugs. "Poe needs to learn how to do something besides blow things up. Finn will be helping the team understand the First Order better, and Kaydel will be there to balance out all the testosterone." At that, Lando's eyes roll heavenward.

"General Hux, Lieutenant Commander Mitaka, Commander Peavey, and some aides will be here, for the First Order, as far as I know."

Rey can barely hide her confusion. "Kylo Ren isn't here for the negotiations?"

Lando blinks. "The Supreme Leader won't be part of the negotiations, no."

_Aha! He didn't say that Ben isn't here._

** _He's not._ **

_Ben?!_

** _Nope, sorry._  
**

"Rey?" Leia looks genuinely concerned. Rey's eyes narrow into craftiness; she knows that Leia can sense her son's Force signature, but she hasn't said a word about it. At that thought, she feels a gentle push. Leia has kindly but firmly removed Rey from her mind.

"Governor, dinner has been so good, but I think I might have overdone it," Rey says with a satisfied sigh. "I'd like to take a walk; is there someone who could give me a tour? If not, I can show myself around...?"

Lando begins fiddling with his wrist comm. "I think I can arrange that, Rey. I'll have Lucian escort you back to your quarters, if you'd like to change, and then you can have a tour. The General and I"--he nods to indicate Leia--"have some other business matters to discuss."

Rey rises and walks to Leia, hugging her and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"I know you can feel him," she whispers. "We have unfinished business." Leia says nothing.

Lando rises with Rey, taking her proffered hand and raising it to his lips as before. "Anything you need, Rey, you know how to contact me."

"Of course." Rey smiles, stepping outside to where Lucian is waiting for her. Grinning like a loth-cat, she hmms to herself that two can play at this game. It's the work of a moment to squelch her side of the bond, then tamp down her Force signature--one of the many things that Luke didn't realize he'd taught her. It had been a simple matter to figure out _how_ to do it, once she'd realized it _could_ be done. Letting herself into her room, she strips out of the dinner gown and the more ornate jewellery, and puts on something that feels like she imagines clouds must: a soft, long-sleeved tunic, supple, well-made breeches that feel like the softest hide, and a sleeveless over-tunic. She completes the look with low boots, leaving her hair untouched. She then steps back out of her room, dismissing Lucian and heading down the hallway to begin her "self-guided tour".

* * *

It is the strangest, most frightening thing: one moment, her Force signature had been joyful and content, a blazing, fiery sun next to his m--_the General's_ warm, snowdrop-white glow. The next moment, it's _GONE_. Kylo blinks and fortifies his energies, then plunges back into the Force, seeking her. Panicking, he reaches out to their bond...and it is only the faintest thread, a dull grey where it had been silver. Panic is replaced by terror, and he sends tendrils of energy spiraling out in all directions.

Leia stops mid-sentence and suddenly stiffens, a faraway look in her eyes.

"What?" Lando asks, his cup halfway to his lips.

"Ben. He's panicking, terrified." She inexplicably _grins_\--the last reaction Lando could imagine would be appropriate.

"Shouldn't...aren't you concerned?"

"Rey told me she was going to find him when she left. Given all of the things she's got reason to be angry with him over, he's probably getting the dressing down of his life."

Lando shakes his head and chuckles, taking a sip of his kaf.

"Either that, or he's face-to-face with a naked woman," Leia says casually, sipping her own kaf.

Lando's tastes and experiences in life had prepared him well for many different classes of phenomena. Regrettably, it had not prepared him for Leia cracking sex jokes about her son, as evidenced by Lando's sudden, kaf-colored redecoration of his dining room table.

* * *

Kylo is hastily donning the rest of his technician uniform, growling about the _damn wig_ but putting it on, lest his cover to be entirely blown, when her Force signature shines out for a fraction of a second, blazing more brightly than ever--and then disappears again, a blip on his mental radar. He freezes, processing this, when he hears an echo of her laughter through the bond, and brightly colored confections behind a glass screen--then the bond goes dead again.

Kylo-Matt is left standing in his room, his jaw gaping and his shoe dangling from his hand.

Teasing.

She's fucking _TEASING_ him.

She is going to _pay_, he snarls.

He jams the shoe on his foot, checks in the mirror to make sure that his wig and glasses are in place, and heads out to follow her trail.

Every few minutes, she opens up enough to show him a visual clue as to her whereabouts. A pair of dice. (This one hits him a little harder than he cares to consider.) A row of market stalls. A large, ornate sculpture surrounded by tables and chairs. Matt pulls out his datapad, and accesses a map of the city. Studying it, he grins wolfishly; he can see the route that her tour is taking, and he knows exactly where to wait for her.

* * *

As she rounds the corner, Rey is reading from a tourist guide about the history of the sculpture that stands at the center of the Paradise Atrium, which she had just left. She is thinking of sending Not-Kylo (as he'd claimed) a mental image of a stall vendor's muja muffins, when a familiar, resonant, _annoyed _baritone voice cuts into her thoughts.

"Enjoying your _tour_, Madame Jedi?" Rey's head whips around, but she doesn't see Kylo. Instead, her sketch, the one that had caused so much grief between her and the Resistance, has come to life, and is standing before her, arms crossed over his massive chest. Irritation is rolling off of him in waves, so Rey elects to throw him off balance by being a counterweight: she drops her shields and _floods_ his senses with a giddy joy.

"CATCH!" she squeals with glee, and launches herself at the hapless radar technician, forcing him to open his arms and catch her before she barrels him over. Once she's in his arms, and in a most unexpected way, the bond seems to hum its approval, and he finds that all of his irritation has abandoned him, somehow. 


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> RATING BUMP!! THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M.
> 
> Our space idiots have happy sexytiems! In the meantime, negotiations for the future begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Smut in the first section. Skip if it's not your thing.

Before Matt can so much as gather his wits, Rey' mouth comes crashing into his. What can he do but give in? It's a rough approximation of a kiss, all noses and teeth and tongues and the awkwardness of trying to map with your body a face that you know so well with your eyes.  
  
_You... you... it's really you..._ her mind is on repeat as she smothers him with kisses, and he is at first so startled by her aplomb and then is so wild for her touch that his mind is devoid of coherent thought, empty of anything but a maelstrom of desire and surprise and delight and confusion.  
  
_I thought... somehow, I knew it was always you... Ben._  
  
Her mind begins rolling through images, and he watches the memory of sketching a big, blonde Ben Solo in a grey technician's jumpsuit. 'He could be anywhere,' a small, wiry hand scribbles. The images startle him into breaking their kiss and speaking.  
  
"That was you?!"  
  
"Mmm," she affirms, nuzzling his chest, then she freezes, and he looks down, concerned that she might finally bolt because she realizes that Matt and Kylo Ren are the same man.  
  
"Wait... so that meta--!"  
  
Matt turns red from his ears to his toes, and mumbles an indistinct "yeahthatwasme."  
  
When he finally finds the courage to look her in the face, she doesn't look like sunshine and sweetness anymore. She looks like a ravenous sand panther in heat.  
  
_"My chambers. **NOW.**"_  
  
It's the work of a few moments to hail a transport, but there's nothing he can do once he's given the driver their destination and they're both settled in the back seat; she begins climbing him like a tree.  
  
"Hey, now!" cautions the driver, a Bothan male who leans more toward the canid side of the species. "Not in the back of my transport!"  
  
"You will take us to our destination, drop us off, then forget we were here." Matt's low rumble is accompanied by a tendril of the Force that wraps around the Bothan's mind, caressing it in carelessness.  
  
"I will drop you off at your destination and forget you were here." A monotone repetition.  
  
"Now floor it."  
  
The Bothan obeys, and Rey grabs Matt by the lapels.  
  
_You are truly wicked,_ she smirks, climbing into his lap and turning to straddle him, rocking her hips with the tiniest of movements. Matt is absolutely still--well, _mostly_ still. He can't control the twitches she's causing in his trousers.  
  
_How shall I punish you, I wonder?_ Rey leans over and runs her tongue across the lobe of his ear, then blows gently.  
  
Matt whimpers, and clamps his hands onto her hips, fighting to still her movements. Rey's eyes widen, then narrow into cunning slits. She leans over to the other ear.  
  
_Oh no, I don't think so, _Matt, she smirks, reaching out with the Force to brush against his crotch, up and down his rapidly increasing length.  
  
Matt's head tips back and he's sweating, fighting not to lose it in his trousers before they've even had a chance to--  
  
"10 credits, please," comes the clipped voice of the driver. Matt removes Rey from his person long enough to fish out a 20 credit chip and fling it in the vicinity of the front seat, then they both dash out of the transport and toward their rooms. Rey is out of the gate faster, but his long legs catch him up quickly, and he grabs her, spinning her as she squeals and pulling her into him for a scorching kiss.  
  
Rey wraps her legs around Matt's middle, using her legs to pull him in, his erection tight against the seam of his jumpsuit and flush against her. He deepens the kiss, and she begins to thread her fingers into his hair before suddenly shifting gears and grabbing him by his lapels again. Her mouth is the color of bruised rose petals, and it makes him crazy when the realization crashes on him that _he is making her this way and she is letting him._ He needs... he wants... **_now!_**  
  
Staggering like a pair of drunks, unable to restrain their hands or their mouths, they finally make it back to the double suite, Rey Forcing the door open and leading him in. The shucking of clothing is haphazard and frenzied, but his first glance at her, fully bared to him, steals his breath away and he is sure that he's just going to lose it and come from the sheer joy of seeing her, having her before him just like this.  
She reaches up and brings her body flush against his, his erection straining against her belly and her nipples rubbing against his ribcage as she gingerly removes the glasses and the wig. His gaze is warm and when he looks into her eyes, she's... crying?!  
  
"I want _you_, Ben. All of you. Kylo and Matt too, but they're all _YOU_, and _you're_ the man I want. Please don't hide from me.  
  
His heart is pounding, flooding, threatening to burst; he is drunk on a heady cocktail of need and gratitude and love. She reaches up and tangles her fingers in his black locks, pulling him down into a kiss that is heat incarnate, and he scoops her up all at once into a bridal carry. She squeaks in surprise, releasing the kiss, but winds her arms around his neck, making him stagger as she flicks an experimental tongue over his nipple, followed by a grazing of teeth.  
  
"Force, Rey, you're so..." There aren't words to articulate these feelings, so he allows his body to speak for him, moving him in the most ancient and sacred of ways. He kisses up and down her body as he rubs himself against her, stealing her breath away.  
  
**_Don't be afraid,_** they both think at one another, and he pins her down with a gaze, teasing and tormenting, but waiting, asking, wanting. Rey closes her eyes and tips her head back, bearing her throat, making herself completely vulnerable to him -- nearly making a coward out of him -- until she spreads her legs a little wider, welcoming him. This is heaven. This is hell. This is _everything._ Stars wheel, galaxies are born and die, and they float, heedless, careless, ecstatic, lost entirely in one another.

* * *

_"So who talks first? You talk first? I talk first?"_  
  
Damn him, Poe Dameron had swaggered into the negotiating room that morning, had seized the advantage of cocky surprise, and isn't letting go. Armitage Hux is entirely on the back foot, and he is NOT pleased about it.  
  
"General Hugs, I feel like you're not understanding on purpose. There will always be a Resistance as long as you insist on blowing up entire systems! If that's the First Order, then you'd better get used to the Resistance being around to screw up your good time!"  
  
"Commander Dameron, I am not understanding what makes you think that the disorder and chaos that comes with a Republic is what this galaxy needs! Twice, the Republic has failed the galaxy, and there will not be a third time!"  
  
"What are you talking about? The Old Republic was undermined by old Palps and his lust for power, and you destroyed the New Republic! Thirty years is half a lifetime; you're completely crazy if you think that fixing the galaxy's problems happens that fast. You people were never worried about 'disorder,' you created it in the Outer Rim, then took advantage of it to justify your crazy, genocidal ideas!"  
  
_The trouble of this negotiation,_ thinks General Organa, watching the different negotiation rooms on Lobot's monitoring system that has been set up in a private suite, _is that they're both right, from a certain point of view._  
  
The Old Republic had been too easily corrupted, but the speed and rot of that corruption had been directed and augmented by Palpatine. The New Republic had been slow to move and fix the issues plaguing the galaxy, but that had been at least partly because Imperial and First Order sympathizers could be found in all echelons.  
  
Leia smiles thinking of what her younger self would have to say to General Organa's musings, but that smile slips away. Too many years spent fighting. Too many losses.  
  
_Must freedom and order be so diametrically opposed?_  
  
She snorts at her own moment of naivete. Of course they would be opposed; 'organized freedom' could be neither -- right?  
  
Her attention snaps back to the feed when Governor Calrissian walks into the room.  
  
"Gentlemen, can I talk either of you into kaf? Tea?"  
  
"Sounds great!" Poe agrees, while Hux sniffs haughtily.  
  
"General, that sounded a lot like a 'yes,'" Lando grins, amping up the charm with a smile.  
  
Hux sputters, and Dameron claps him on the back.  
  
"Come on, Hugs, let's go talk about starships or _Dictator's Digest_ or something!"  
  
Shocked out of coming up with a proper refusal, Hux follows in a near-daze.

* * *

Coming back from a kaf break, Mitaka stops in his tracks, then backs out of the room to look at the placard in order to ensure that he hadn't gotten lost. The placard was correct, but his negotiating partner was definitely _not_ FN-2187. Mitaka is at a loss; the former Stormtrooper had been amiable enough, after some initial difficulties. In fact, he was downright likeable, and almost charismatic, which presented its own difficulties; it's hard to drive a bargain with someone you find amiable.  
  
Now, though, FN-2187 is somewhere else, and a young woman with blonde hair rises to greet him from across the table.  
  
"Lieutenant Commander Connix." She offers her hand to shake, and he can't explain why a handshake feels entirely inappropriate, but he takes her hand and shakes anyway.  
  
"I apologize for Finn's sudden departure; General Organa required his assistance with a different matter. I've familiarized myself with your discussion, and it looks like you were able to agree on a few tenets?"  
  
"Oh, well, I wouldn't say we made a great deal of headway, Lieutenant, but our discussion was... enlightening."  
  
"Seeing your organization through a different pair of eyes?"  
  
"Indeed..." Mitaka trails off, trying to think of where he wants to begin discussions, and what kind of concessions he could wring out of this negotiator, but he keeps stumbling whenever her warm brown eyes catch his attention.  
  
_Get yourself together, man!_ He felt like an awkward teenager again (although to be fair, he isn't so far removed from teenagerdom).  
  
She forges ahead, trying to break the awkward silence. "So, what is the First Order's position on a bilateral cease-fire?"  
  
"Amenable."  
  
"That's it, no other provisos?"  
  
"Well, what kind of provisos were you expecting?"  
  
She shrugs elegantly, ticking it off of her list. "And on disarmament?"  
  
He smiles.  
  
_Why are you smiling, you fool?_  
  
"The First Order stands to lose a great deal more than the Resistance in that respect. I don't think straight bilateral disarmament is something we can agree to."  
  
Her chocolate eyes bore into him. "What did you have in mind?"  
  
_Ah. This, at least, is easy!_  
  
"To fold into the military of whatever governmental structure arises out of the negotiations."  
  
"You assume there will be a standing military force."  
  
He falters; not so easy, it would seem. "Wh-why wouldn't there be?"  
  
"Precisely because the First Order has wrought so much destruction! A standing military will always look for a military solution to any given problem as a means of validating its existence, as well as because they are made up of people pre-disposed to opt for force rather than negotiation."  
  
"Lieutenant Commander, galactic history leads me to believe that had there been a standing military for the Republic, rather than relying on each world to have its own military and to act in the interest of other planets and systems, an organization like the First Order would have been more easily neutralized."  
  
She blinks, absorbing his perspective, and he waits.  
  
"Lieutenant Commander, If there were to be a standing military -- _and I'm not saying we agree to it_ \-- it would have to be entirely subordinate to the civilian government in order to avoid a scenario where each planet raced to build its own military in order to keep itself safe from a paramilitary group like the First Order."  
  
"Well, Lieutenant, it would be subordinate to the government, but it seems probable to me that most systems, outside of declared pacifist regimes such as the Naboo, will build up their own military as well, in order to protect their own interests both from other planets and from the galactic government as a whole."  
  
"How is this not an arms race?!" She is evidently dismayed by the possibility, and there is a part of him that would like nothing better than to reassure her that it would all be alright.  
  
_You are in such trouble,_ he thinks to himself.  
  
_You are in such trouble,_ she thinks to herself, shaking her head. _You're even willing to consider a standing military because he's _asked_ you to!_  
  
Governor Calrissian swaggers into the room, and stops long enough to kiss Connix's hand. Mitaka simply stares, admiring the Governor's brazen act.  
  
"Lieutenant Commanders, lunch is being served. Will you join us?"  
  
General Hux is in the dining room, but his face isn't wearing its accustomed scowl or sneer. He is engaged in a heated debate about something with Commander Dameron, the two inches from one another, the pilot gesticulating wildly. FN-2187 is with General Organa, and Commander Peavey is off to the other side, enjoying hors-de-oeuvres of fruit and some spongy-looking bread with a cup of kaf. Mitaka doesn't hear much of the conversation between the ex-Stormtrooper and the General, but what he does hear makes his knees weak.  
  
"Kylo Ren is here?! Where is he?? Where is Rey?! Is she safe?!" FN-2187's face looks like a thundercloud, and he is standing up and putting his jacket back on when General Organa pulls him back down to his seat.  
  
"Rey _intercepted_ him, and I've tasked her with keeping his hot head away from the Peace Conference."  
  
"But... won't he have to sign off on this? Being 'Supreme Leader' and all?" Finn uses finger quotes around Ren's title.  
  
"Ultimately, he and I both will, but my understanding is that Rey has engaged him in some rather _aggressive_ negotiations."


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me through this wild ride! Thanks particularly for @lorsanbitch for putting up with my shenanigans! I've got other fics in the works, but if there's something you'd like to suggest, feel free to prompt me! As long as it doesn't fall in my squick zone, I promise to consider it! Also, sorry for the terrible quality on some of the pics...I had to edit the "real world" out with _PAINT_ (oh, horrors!).

“Rey?” Ben strokes her hair, holding her against his chest, and she nuzzles in further.

“Mmm?”

“Will you tell me what happened that day? When you screamed?” He pauses as she shifts against him to look at him, a look that might be a death glare if they weren’t both so physically and emotionally wrung out.

“I really don’t want to, Ben.”

“You really scared me, you know?”

“You’ve never — well, maybe once in your life have you been scared of me.”

“Scared _for_ you, Rey. I don’t know _how_ to be scared _of_ you.”

Into his mind flashes a picture of his face, his hair impossibly perfectly coiffed and shinier than it’s ever been — seeing himself through someone else’s eyes, then. Across that unmarred face is an expression of terror: brown eyes wide in disbelief, lips quivering as he breathes the word “What?” His arm is stretched before him, but the hand is thrown up as if to protect himself from something. 

Ben stares down at Rey in open amazement, while she looks up at him with a cocked eyebrow and a smug expression.

“Okay, one time,” he concedes.

“It was Rose,” she confesses. Ben’s blood pressure skyrockets and he isn’t really sure who Rose is but he’s going to tear her to shreds and jettison the remains through an airlock—

_“BEN.”_

Rey’s hand is gripping his jaw, pulling his face down with one arm while the other levers her up to look him dead in the eyes.

“If anything, you should be _thanking_ Rose.”

He snorts. “What the hell for?”

“It’s her fault that I realized I love you.”

Blinking stupidly several times, he feels like he just got headbutted by a tauntaun. 

“You love me?” 

_Charming AND swift, Solo,_ his inner monologue snarks. _Wait — **SOLO?!**_

Rey stares for a moment, then closes her eyes. Ben is carried up on warm currents that soothe and nourish his heart and his battered soul. He feels all of the caresses that Rey had gifted him, and allows himself to feel the loving intention behind them. 

“In all fairness,” she adds, without opening her eyes, “you loved me first, I think.”

He shrugs noncommittally, but she’s not dropping it.

“How long have you known, Ben?” Not ‘how long have you loved me’, but ‘how long have you known’. Clever, intelligent Rey, knowing that it would have snuck up on him, that he would have been head over heels before he ever realized it.

He takes a deep breath, baring another part of himself to his lover’s scrutiny. “Since Anakin’s lightsaber flew to you.”

She nods, as if that was the answer she’d been expecting.

“Rose posted those pages that I drew. I must have left them lying around, and she found them and posted them without my permission.”

Ben positively twitches with aggravation, but Rey quiets him with a kiss to his pec, right over his heart.

“When I went to confront her about it, she believed it was harmless fun. She didn’t know I’d drawn them, though she did pick up on Matt’s resemblance to you. She turned that back on me, joking that it was impossible for me to be in love with _Kylo Ren,_ and my first impulse was to fight her about it. That’s how I knew — when it was something I’d fight for.”

His sweet Rey, his desert flower, his scrappy little fighter. Heat blooms in his chest… but that _scream…_

“Then… why did you scream like that? Did she—” Ben’s tone is as black and cold as space. _**“Did she hurt you?”**_

“She… her sister Paige was the gunner on the Cobalt Hammer — the bomber that took down the dreadnought at D’Qar. She holds the First Order responsible for her sister’s death and the deaths of her family in the Otomok system, and you are the Supreme Leader of the First Order. She… when I tried to explain that I’d stopped hating you a long time ago, she rejected me, and as one of the only friends I’ve ever had, that hurt. The fact that she’d basically conned the confession out of me made it hurt worse — she took something that was a secret and used it to hurt me.” 

“Rey.” His voice is a low growl, tinged with anger and possession. “As much as I’m grateful you understand your feelings, I cannot let that kind of behavior stand.”

“Ben!” A flicker of her own outrage flares across the bond. “I am NOT some helpless maiden, needing my dark knight to avenge me! You have no right to hold a grudge _for_ me!”

A sort of staring contest, a fight for dominance, grows between them, broken only when Rey vaults herself onto Ben’s midsection, straddling him, and kisses him, deeply and sweetly. He gives in, his heart sublimating the passion of anger into the heated tug and fiery spread of arousal. He’ll always give in to her, he realizes.

“Ben,” she breathes, as they surface for air. “In a way, I understand where she was coming from. No one really knows you like I do, and she… Rose was only trying to protect who and what she loves. I can’t fault her for that. No, she didn’t try very hard to understand me, but she loves Finn, you know?”

“Finn? You mean FN — the, ah, ex-Stormtrooper?” he quickly corrects himself, seeing reproach blossom in her face at the mention of the defector’s ID number.

“The one whose spine you sliced open, yes. So you might understand why she thinks you’re bad news.”

She follows this verbal slap with a soothing kiss, rocking back and forth against him, slick meeting steel.

“Do you — _uhn!_ — think I’m — _ah! hnng!_ — bad news?” he gasps, driven wild by the heightened arousal their bond creates.

“Oh Ben,” she breathes, trailing kisses down his sternum and the plane of his abdomen. Her lips curl into a smile and his moan nearly drowns out her voice when she presses her mouth to the base of his erection and purrs, “I _know_ you are.”

Yes, he’ll always give in to her. If only he could bring himself to care.

* * *

It is the night of the celebratory banquet. Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader of the First Order, and Leia Organa, General of the Resistance, are due to sign the armistice agreement in front of an audience of billions, thanks to the HoloNet and the improved radar relays all around Cloud City that will broadcast the ceremony galaxy-wide. This is a night that will be long remembered for many, many reasons. First is the red carpet walk. 

> @LongLivetheRepublic chirped:  
Hey isn’t that the ‘Trooper that joined the Resistance??  

> 
> @Corellian Hotshot replied:  
I’m way more interested in who SHE is! 
> 
> @Justice4Otomok replied:  
THAT’S MY HOMEGIRL ROSE TICO!!!!!!!! OMG YOU’RE ALIVE!!!!!!!

> @BlackSquadronFangirl chirped:  
Where is Commander Dameron?!?!
> 
> @HuxMeBaby replied:  
Screw Dameron!! WHERE’S GENERAL HUX?!

> @SomeRandomJerk chirped:  
Where did they dig up these old fossils?? These generals on both sides look shrivelier than Emperor Palpatine!

Second is the embrace. After the signing of the treaty, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren and General Leia Organa embrace one another, holding each other far longer than is customary in any culture, and then, Kylo bends nearly in half at the waist, and rests his forehead against Leia’s; his hands are on her shoulders while hers cup his face tenderly.

The HoloNet EXPLODES.

Third is the more-than-fashionably-late arrival of a rumpled Commander Dameron and a disheveled General Hux. They didn’t arrive at exactly the same time, much less in one another’s company, but their appearances and excessive lateness are enough to raise a few eyebrows.

> @LoverandaFighter chirped:  
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm….  
  

> 
> Our MIA guys finally make an appearance, within 10 minutes of each other…  
Surely just a coincidence?
> 
> @BabeoftheFirstOrder replied:  
Disgusting that you would even imply ANYTHING between the First Order and a group of TERRORISTS!!
> 
> @BlackSquadronFangirl replied:  
I agree it’s disgusting… General Sux isn’t worthy to lick Dameron’s boots
> 
> @HuxMeBaby replied:  
I mean, as long as he’s happy? I guess?

Dinner and the formal dance are the final straws that cause the HoloNet to more or less implode. Firstly, a great deal is made of who is seated at the head table, and where. At the center of the table, between the two leaders, is the young woman who has been setting the HoloNet ablaze: Lady Rey of Jakku, the Last Jedi. The Supreme Leader sits on her right, General Organa on her left. Beside General Organa is the extremely tardy Commander Dameron; General Hux, behindhand and almost ruing it, sits to the right of the Supreme Leader. The two sides fan out from there: next to Hux is Phasma, then Peavey, and then Mitaka; Connix sits beside Poe, followed by Finn and Rose. Lady Rey openly talks and laughs with General Organa _and with Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren is visibly relaxed and occasionally_ smiling _at what Lady Rey has to say._ As if things haven’t gone ass-over-teakettle enough, dinner is cleared away, and a chamber orchestra strikes up. The Supreme Leader takes Lady Rey’s hand, _kisses it,_ and rises from the table holding it. He is clearly asking her to dance. By her expression, she is panic-stricken, but General Organa leans in and whispers something to her, and she smiles widely enough to light the entire room. She gets up and follows Ren to the center of the hall, and lets him sweep her away. 

> @HosnianGhosts chirped:  
I can’t. I just _can’t._ WHY DOES NO ONE SEEM TO CARE THAT THE ENTIRE HOSNIAN SYSTEM IS GONE?!
> 
> @KillingtheStarkiller replied:  
WHY DON’T YOU CARE THAT THIS ARMISTICE MEANS THERE WON’T BE ANOTHER HOSNIAN CATACLYSM?!
> 
> @HosnianGhosts replied:  
BECAUSE SOME OF US ARE OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER ALDERAAN
> 
> @VoicesFromTheGraveyard replied:  
Pretty sure <s>Princess</s> General Leia Organa of House Organa of Alderaan has that angle covered, champ.
> 
> @BabeoftheFirstOrder chirped:  
I still don’t get what he sees in that sand rat! Kylooooooooo, whyyyyyyyyyy?!
> 
> @VoicesFromTheGraveyard replied:  
I have a theory on that, actually: Kylo Ren is the right age and has the right appearance markers and the right historical markers. I believe Kylo Ren is Ben Organa-Solo. Think about it: he went missing, presumed dead, and shortly after that, Kylo Ren pops up — a man with no past. Ren’s accent is Mid-Rim, and Ben was born on Chandrila. DID YOU SEE THE BODY LANGUAGE BETWEEN HIM AND GENERAL ORGANA?!
> 
> @BabeoftheFirstOrder replied:  
That is the most crackpot idea I’ve heard in my entire life.
> 
> @HosnianGhosts replied:  
I refuse to believe that anyone with Alderaanian blood could have allowed the Hosnian Genocide.
> 
> @VoicesFromTheGraveyard replied:  
He wasn’t in charge of the First Order then. It was still Supreme Leader Snoke.
> 
> @HosnianGhosts replied:

Finn is, to put it mildly, displeased by the turn of events. He gets up from the table and storms out of the room, followed by a Rose who is trying to calm him down. After a respectful amount of time has passed, allowing the Supreme Leader and the Last Jedi the floor to themselves, Doppelganger gets up to have a word with The Gardener. This raises some eyebrows on both sides, especially when Organa warmly grasps Mitaka’s hand, nods, and points toward the other end of the table. Lieutenant Connix is startled, and then pleased, when the shy and quiet man asks her to dance.

_She is so lovely when she blushes,_ Mitaka sighs inwardly. For her part, Connix is surprised to learn that he is a very good dancer.

“If it’s not a secret, Lieutenant Commander, has Dameron happened to mention anything about… you know…”

She laughs, a mesmerizing sound. 

“Please, Doph, call me Kaydel again... I like that so much better. But yes, I saw the whole thing! After you left the cantina, it was Poe, Hugs, Phasma, and me.” She pauses, thinking. “How many shots had Hugs had when you left?”

“I think he was on his third?”

“Ah. Ok. Well, he and Poe were basically having some kind of manliness contest, or something, and Hugs made the mistake of trying to keep up with Poe. Honestly? I don’t know anyone besides me who ever does keep up with him. But anyway, there was some kind of argument that ended in a dare for Poe to kiss him. I think it was that Poe couldn’t make him enjoy it.”

Mitaka’s mouth is agape, his eyes boggling.

“Well, long story short, he lost that bet too, and we sent the two of them off in a transport before they could defile the cantina.”

At taking in Mitaka’s shock, she gives a tiny snort, and then begins laughing until tears are in the corners of her eyes. Dopheld can’t help but join her.

After watching Kaydel and the First Order officer for a moment, Dameron gets up, gives Organa a side-squeeze, then wanders over to Hux.

“If you’re thinking of asking me to dance, Dameron, forget it.”

“Actually, I was thinking of asking you what you’d like to drink, Hugs.”

The ginger flinches at the nickname, but his face returns quickly to its cool visage.

“Triple scotch, neat.”

“My new favorite drink, after last night!” quips Dameron in a sing-song voice, giving Hux a noticeable nudge on the shoulder before sauntering off.

“Insufferable bastard,” mutters Hux, his cheeks flaming scarlet.

“Coming from you, General, that’s practically a declaration of sentiment,” Phasma interjects, her tone cool but light.

“Oh, do shut up, Captain.” 

Across the room, Lando makes his way to the seat recently vacated by Dameron. 

“May I have kaf brought for two?” Lando asks.

“Please do.”

“So what do you think, Leia? Will it work this time?”

“I certainly hope so, but it’s hardly our fight anymore.”

He observes her narrowly.

“Have you come to a decision on the matter we discussed?”

She nods.

“It is a generous offer, Lando. I accept. I know that Han would want me someplace safe and comfortable,” she smiles wistfully, “and I don’t know anyone he would have trusted more than Chewie or you. Chewie needs some time to return to Kashyyk, and I intend to offer him that, along with the Falcon, if he’ll take it.”

Lando is surprised by this, and it’s plain in his gaze.

“Too many ghosts, Lando.”

“Ah. What about him?” Calrissian jerks his head toward the other two Force-users in the room.

“It’s hard to say. Like always, he’ll have to choose his own path. No one can choose it for him. I think he has a better shot at being a good man than he’s had in many years.” Tears shimmer in her eyes.

Lando thanks the server who’s brought them a tray loaded with a carafe of kaf and all of the accessories. They each prepare their own in silence, Lando giving Leia a moment to rein in her emotions and restore her dignity.

“Leia,” he says, his voice edged with concern, “does he know?”

“About my retirement? Doubtful. I’ve planned to tell him at breakfast.”

Lando changes the topic, noticing the absence of most of the head table.

“Where did that ex-Stormtrooper of yours run off to?”

* * *

Out in the hall, Finn is pacing like a wounded wolf.

“Rose, I just don’t understand!” Finn is hurting, but to his credit, he isn’t lashing out at the woman he loves.

“Finn, I don’t know that I completely understand it either, but don’t you trust Rey to tell you in her own time?”

Finn blinks, stunned by the about-face. “Look, three or four days ago, you were all ‘don’t trust your heroes’, and now you’re telling me to trust Rey to explain, in a way that makes _any sense_, why she looks like she’s in love with _Kylo Ren._ This is giving me whiplash. I… I just need some time alone, to think.” 

Finn kisses Rose’s cheek, and meets her gaze, silently asking her for the space he needs. Rose sighs, but his confusion is valid. She hadn’t really understood it right away either, but her conversation with General Organa had gone a long way toward bridging the chasm between herself and Rey. She kisses him back on his cheek.

“I get it. I’ve had a couple of days to think, so I can’t really be upset if you need that too.”

Finn walks away, his body all rigidity and tension, and Rose takes another sip of her drink. It’s gotten warm, and she could really use a cold one, or something stronger than wine. As if she’d summoned a waitress, Rey emerges from the great hall, carrying three glasses of a pink, fizzing beverage.

“Oh!” Rey peers about in confusion. “Where’s Finn?”

Inside the great hall, Rey had begun to wonder at Finn’s extended absence, and realized it was likely time for her to face the music. Not that what she is doing, or who she loves, is wrong, but she would expect Finn to feel betrayed and angry and upset, and Rose would be with him — Rose, with whom Rey is not on speaking terms. She leaned over to Ben, and whispered something to him, and he drew up in reply, his spine stiffening and his face hardening. She caressed his cheek, and that seemed to bevel the edges just enough. Then, she’d grabbed some drinks and come out here to the hallway and… no Finn. 

Rose closes her eyes, pained by Finn’s hostility, shamed by the memory of her own, and breathes deeply.

“Sorry,” Rey murmurs. “Do you want me to go?”

“No, Rey, please stay. I’d like to talk. I owe you an apology.”

Rey’s eyes fill with tears at the olive branch, and Rose gets a little misty-eyed in spite of herself, but continues.

“Paige once told me that you learn more from listening to people you don't agree with.” ‘Once’ might have only been two or three days ago, but Rose didn’t need Rey thinking she was crazy for hearing voices in her head. “I’m ready to learn, and hopefully, Finn will be, one day soon.”

“Thank you, Rose. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.” She hands Rose one of the drinks, disposes of the third to a waiter passing by, and they both sit around a small table in the hall, and Rey explains everything. Two drinks turn into six, and half an hour turns into an hour and a half, and the summit begins to break up, friends, comrades, and couples heading off to their respective quarters in Cloud City. 

By the time Kaydel gives Dopheld a warm kiss on the cheek and walks out of the great hall, leaving the Lt. Commander walking on air, Rey and Rose are rather deep in their cups. She just shakes her head at the two lightweights.

“C’mon, Rosey-Posey, let’s get you to bed,” she says, slinging the engineer’s arm around her shoulders. 

“Okay! ‘Night Rey! Have fun with Kylo’s lightsaber!” she grins, plastered, and Rey snorts. 

“What about my lightsaber?” Kylo is leaning against the doorway, his dry amusement is evident in his tone. 

“’S big and ‘s red and it comes when I pull on it!” 

He almost chokes, then she splays her fingers, the Force ebbing lazily around her, like she would pull it if only she could focus. 

“’Course, I need two hands ‘cuz it’s so big!” Rey’s head lolls slightly, and she giggles at her own innuendo.

He wags a finger at her as if she’s a naughty child, his voice filled with mock sternness.

“Alright, Madame Jedi, I think you’ve had enough.”

She pouts, and holds out her arms. 

“Carry me?”

Yep, he’ll always give in to her. Nope, he still can’t bring himself to care. He probably never will.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just to be clear? Lando's 'proposition' to Leia was not marriage or anything akin to it. Only that she could retire in Cloud City and he would ensure his friend's widow would be well looked-after, getting the best medical care and being among friends who would protect her.


End file.
